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THE QUARTERMASTER CORPS 



THE 
QUARTERMASTER CORPS 

IE" THE TEAR 191T 
IN THE WORLD WAR 



BY 
HENRY Gr. SHARPE 

MAJOR GENERAL, U. S. ARMY 
(formerly QUARTERMASTER GENERAL) 




f*i ^ ' C*V » 



NEW YORK 

THE CENTURY CO. 

1921 






Copyright, 1921, by 
The Century Co. 



SEf -I ,V{ 
§)CI,A624171 



THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO THE MEMBERS OP THB 

QUARTERMASTER CORPS 

AND ITS CIVIUAN PERSONNEL 

WHOSE LOYAL, UNTIRING AND DEVOTED SERVICES 

MADE POSSIBLE THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF 

THE WORK HEREIN OUTLINED 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

I am under deep obligation for the assistance ren- 
dered me in preparing this book by the following: 
Lieutenant Colonel John H. Adams, Brigadier General 
D. L. Brainard, Colonel F. A. Coleman, Colonel Wil- 
liam H. Clopton, Brigadier General John M. Carson, 
Lieutenant Colonel Ezra Davis, Lieutenant Colonel L. 
L. Deitrick, Brigadier General Charles B. Drake, Col- 
onel Charles P. Daly, Colonel John S. Fair, Colonel 
William R. Grove, Major George Hahn, Colonel Harry 
J. Hirsch, Colonel Letcher Hardeman, Mr. Emmet 
Hamilton, Major Henry R. Lemly, Mr. W. H. Lewis, 
Jr., Lieutenant Colonel Marcel S. Keene, Brigadier 
General A. D. Kinskern, Brigadier General Herbert 
M. Lord, Colonel Fred S. Munson, Lieutenant Colonel 
Robert E. Shannon, Mr. O. D, Street, Colonel Thomas 
H. Slavens, Major Amos Tyree, Lieutenant Colonel 
Frank Van Vleck, Colonel R. H. Williams, Colonel 
Winthrop S. Wood, Colonel M. Gray Zalinski, and also 
to Mr. Edward Hungerford and Miss Elsie Seeligmann 
for suggestions and assistance in the copying of the 
manuscript, and to Mr. Edward Frank Allen for the 
careful editing of the same and for many helpful sug- 
gestions concerning the arrangement of the contents. 

The assistance given by the oflficers above named was 



viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

tendered under great strain of official duties, and the 
extra work it entailed required the sacrifice of time 
available for rest or diversion, and my appreciation of 
their assistance is therefore deep and sincere. 

H. G. S. 



FOREWORD 

It was a gigantic task that was thrust upon the 
Corps of which General Sharpe was the head when we 
entered the war. Our Allies were being sorely pressed 
and needed our aid at the earliest possible moment and 
their representatives in this country did not fail to press 
upon Washington the necessity for haste. 

After the Armistice, Lord Reading in an address at 
the University Club, described the situation of the op- 
posing Armies in March, 1918, when the enemy was 
only about thirty miles from Paris, told of his visit to 
the President, adding that when he left it was with a 
lighter heart and a quicker step than for many months 
before as he hastened to cable Lloyd George that the 
American troops then in France would go immediately 
into the battle line (though without that thorough train- 
ing theretofore regarded as necessary) and that troops 
would be taken from the cantonments and sent over to 
take immediate part in the fighting as fast as bottoms 
and convoys could be ready. 

The impossible was attempted on our part from the 
very beginning, and in the effort to attain it, we actually 
accomplished that which was never before even attempt- 
ed by any nation. The Corps of which General Sharpe 
was the chief employed herculean efforts to obtain sup- 

ix 



X FOKEWORD 

plies on time, troops being sent abroad each month 
beginning with September. 

This book indicates that the Quartermaster Corps 
of the Army included a number of capable, energetic 
and efficient men, who by their foresight and devotion 
to duty were able, as the author states, to provide the 
foundations upon which the superstructure was erected. 
It also indicates the duty of preparation in time of 
peace, for while as a people we desire to conserve peace, 
the manliness and independence of our citizens make 
us deplore the necessity that others were obliged to 
defend the gates to ensure us the time to organize our 
resources and strength so as to fight for the liberty of 
the world. 

The author's poise is admirable and he has produced 
a book that will be very helpful to the future historian 
and will prove exceedingly attractive to those who read 
it now. 



CONTENTS 



I Introduction 



II Personnel 17 

Civilian personnel — Commissioned personnel 
— Enlisted men — Cemeterial branch. 

III Finance and Accounting Division .... 68 

Financial problems and accounting — Diffi- 
culties and embarrassments. 

IV Supplies 90 

Supplies division — Subsistence branch — 
Clothing and equipage branch — Fuel and 
forage — Conservation division. 

V Supplies Division 129 

Clothing and equipage — Board of Control of 
Labor Conditions — Time when troops could 
be equipped — Calling troops in advance of 
time so designated — Shipping troops to 
France complicated conditions as to supply 
— Additional troops — Investigation by Com- 
mittee on Military Aifairs of the Senate — 
Shortages at camps — Number of men in 
service of United States on December 31, 
1917, who were equipped — Number of men 
in France December 31, 1917 — Reserve ship- 
ment of supplies to France — Over 40,000 
men equipped in excess of number which 
was stated could be equipped by December 
31, 1917 — Problem of supply — Distribution 
of supplies in this country — Fuel and forage 
branch — Conservation and reclamation divi- 
sion. 



xii co:n^tents 

CHAPTBB FiOE 

"VT Eemount Division and Eemount Service . . 244 
Organization and operation — Method of pur- 
chasing remounts during the War with 
Germany — Training activities — Overseas 
units — Breeding. 

^/ 
VII Warehousing Division 271 

Duties assigned to Warehousing Division — 
Tvs^o classes of Quartermaster Depots — 
Storage depot at Boston — Functions of the 
six branches of Warehousing Division. 

VIII Construction Division 292 

Fourteen training camps for officers — Re- 
frigerating plants for use in France — Me- 
chanical repair shop units. 

IX Quartermaster Depots 301 

P.roblem of the Grocery Division — Clothing 
and Equipage Divisions — Forage and Ware- 
house Divisions — Purchasing and vparehous- 
ing materials — Manufacture of uniforms — 
German vessels and the docks at Hoboken — 
Business of the depots. 

X Transportation Division 343 

Rail transportation — Water transjKjrtation — 
Motors — Machine shop unit at Hoboken — 
Joint Army and Navy Board for the In- 
spection of Merchant Ships — Planning and 
designs for nevs^ army transports — Army 
vessel building program for construction of 
numeral small craft — Militarization of the 
U. S. Army vessel service — Motor trans- 
portation. 

XI Camp Joseph E. Johnston, Florida .... 403 
Object of the camp — Instruction — Adminis- 
trative personnel. 

Conclusion 412 

Index 415 



THE QUARTERMASTER CORPS 



The Quartermaster Corps in the 
Year 1917 in the World War 

I 

INTKODUCTION" 

An eminent "writer stated that : 

"Men, arms, money and provisions are the sinews of 
war." 

If he had included transportation in this classifica- 
tion, the means by which the sinews receive their nour- 
ishment, vigor and repair would have been indicated, 
and the statement would be as apt today as when it was 
made several hundred years ago. 

All armies have certain organizations which provide 
the supplies necessary to maintain their efficiency. Im- 
provement in the general conditions of life and advance- 
ment in science necessarily increased the number and 
the varieties of the supplies required ; and, as a conse- 
quence, separate organizations have been formed to 
provide such supplies as are considered technical or 
scientific. In this country all these organizations in the 
Army are generally designated as the Supply Depart- 
ments. 

3 



4 THE QUAKTERMASTER CORPS 

It is the purpose to discuss only the organization 
known as the Quartermaster Corps, and to indicate 
briefly the work accomplished by it in the year 1917 in 
the World War. 

In order that a fair comprehension and full apprecia- 
tion of this matter may be obtained, it is necessary to 
recall some import.ant facts. 

Several of the Supply Departments in the Army were 
among the first of the organizations established by the 
Continental Congress, and others have been created at 
various times since as necessity arose. 

As a sequence of the Civil War, and because of the 
development in business methods, efforts were made at 
various times to effect a combination of several of the 
Supply Departments, but these efforts failed. 

The Commission to Investigate the Conduct of the 
War Department in the War with Spain, appointed by 
the President in 1898, reported, among other things, as 
follows : 

"Finally, In the opinion of this Commission, there 
should be a division of the labor now devolving upon 
the Quartermaster's Department. . . ." 

"Whether there should be one great department of 
supply, covering the Quartermaster's Department ex- 
cept transportation, the Subsistence Department and 
the Pay Department, and another covering the im- 
portant problem of transportation, including the move- 
ment of armies by land and by sea and the supply of 
animals, wagons, ambulances and harness, is a subject 
for the serious consideration of a board of officers whose 
experience in peace and war, at home and in an enemy's 



INTRODUCTION 5 

country, would render them most competent to make an 
exhaustive investigation and to present a complete re^ 
port upon this important subject." 

In 1901, Mr. Elihu Koot, then Secretary of War, 
appointed a Board of Officers, comprising, among others, 
the Chiefs of the Quartermaster, Pay and Subsistence 
Departments, to consider this subject. This Board of 
Officers submitted two reports to the Secretary of War, 
both favoring the suggestion but differing as to the 
manner of its application. 

A bill was later submitted to Congress by Secretary 
Root, and was opposed by all the Bureau Chiefs who 
were on the Board of Officers. As the bill provided 
for a consolidation of the three Departments into the 
Quartermaster Department, such opposition could have 
been based on the following analogy: The hand, one 
of the most important and useful members of the body, 
is a union of the thumb and fingers ; a consolidation of 
these might result in an enlarged thumb, but the com- 
bination forms the palm, and the flexibility and useful- 
ness of the hand is thus largely increased. The bill 
failed of passage. It is greatly to be regretted that 
the bill submitted did not endeavor to establish a Supply 
Corps proper, for under the able administration of 
Secretary Root such a corps would have been wisely 
organized and its duties clearly defined. 

In 1911 a bill was submitted by the Chairman of the 
Committee on Military Affairs of the House of Repre- 
sentatives which created a Supply Corps by combining 



6 THE QUAETEKMASTER CORPS 

the Quartermaster, Pay and Subsistence Departments. 
It was not perfect, but it was a step in tbe right direc- 
tion and was favored by the Chiefs of the Bureaus 
concerned; and while many of the officers of the De- 
partments affected did not favor the bill, their loyalty 
to the Chiefs of their Bureaus restrained them from 
endeavoring to make their own views known. 

The bill provided the rank of Major General for the 
Chief of the Supply Corps, whereas the rank of the 
Chiefs of all the other Bureaus of the War Depart- 
ment was that of Brigadier General, except the Ad- 
jutant General, which was that of Major General dur- 
ing the continuance in office of its then incumbent. 
This seems a trivial matter to note, but the rank ac- 
corded the Chiefs of the Supply Corps had a very ma- 
terial effect upon the subsequent development of a 
real Supply Corps, as will be later shown. 

An officer of one of the Departments affected, who 
had announced to both Committees of Congress that he 
was not an aspirant or an applicant for the promotion, 
was asked what should be the rank of the Chief of 
the Supply Corps. He replied that it should be de- 
termined by the financial responsibilities of such chiefs, 
as salaries were always made commensurate with such 
responsibilities, and that it should be the highest rank 
then given in the Army, that of Major General." The 
Chiefs of the new Corps would be responsible in times 
of peace for the disbursement of one hundred and 
twenty-five millions of dollars annually and accountable 
for the property it represented ; and in time of war this 



inteoductio:n' 7 

responsibility might represent several billions of dollars 
annually. And in reply to a further question if other 
Chiefs of Bureaus should receive the same rank, he 
replied that that was a question for Congress to de- 
termine, but that the compensation should be established 
by the financial responsibility of each; and called at- 
tention to the fact that all Railroad Presidents did not 
receive the same salary, but that the salary of each one 
was fixed in the manner suggested. 

The bill passed each House of Congress, and then 
was sent to Conference, and upon request of an officer 
belonging to one of the Departments affected, the name 
of the new organization was changed from Supply Corps 
to Quartermaster Corps. This apparently trivial mat- 
ter prevented the possibility of creating a real Supply 
Corps, as the establishment of an enlarged Quarter- 
master Corps was assumed to be for the purpose of 
securing the rank of Major General for its Chief. 
Thereafter all the other Supply Departments held ten- 
aciously to the right to provide all the supplies for their 
Departments, even if such supplies were in common use 
in two or three Departments. 

The viciousness of this system was clearly indicated 
in 1917 when several of the Supply Departments were 
in the market for practically the same item of supply, 
resulting in competition in the "War Department itself. 
This condition could not be changed under the then 
existing law; but was effected later under authority of 
what is now known as the Overman Law, which gave 
to the President the authority during the continuance 



8 THE QUAKTEKMASTER CORPS 

of the War, to transfer duties or funds from one De- 
partment to another. The policy of Congress had been 
in the past to assign to a Department the sole duty of 
executing certain work or providing certain supplies 
required by the Army, and no other Department was 
authorized to function along these lines. Eor instance, 
the Medical Department was charged with the duty 
of providing medical attendance, supplies and hospital 
treatment; the Ordnance of providing ordnance ma- 
teriel; the Signal Corps of providing means of com- 
munication ; the Engineers Corps of the construction of 
fortifications and river and harbor works. This is 
merely a brief and incomplete enumeration of the 
duties assigned by law to each Department, but is 
sufficient to indicate the point referred to. 

For some unknown reason when the Law providing 
for Deficiency in Appropriations was passed just after 
war was declared, Congress departed from this well es- 
tablished principle and authorized several of the De^ 
partments to undertake certain duties which had before 
that time been assigned to the Quartermaster Corps. 
The Signal Corps was authorized to pay, subsist, clothe 
and quarter the men belonging to the Aviation Section ; 
and this Corps and several of the others named were 
also authorized to provide storage. Organizations were 
created in these Departments to undertake these new 
duties. Decentralization was thus established in lieu 
of the policy of centralization which had previously 
been followed and the various Departments of the War 
Department were thus brought into competition with 



INTRODUCTION d 

each other. The confusion occasioned bj this change in 
Congressional policy will be referred to again. It was 
remedied later under the authority of the Overman law. 
It is, therefore, manifest that the Quartermaster Corps 
was not responsible for the confusion caused by change 
of a policy of centralization to one of decentralization 
during a time of war, especially as it had received no 
information of the intended change, and learned of it 
some time after the law effecting such change was 
enacted and when the competition developed. 

For many years there has existed a tendency on the 
part of the line of the Army to criticise the Supply De- 
partments, and there has also arisen a feeling of jealousy 
against them. At times this tendency has occasioned 
wide comment in the public press, as for instance in 
the controversies which have arisen in the past between 
the Commanding General of the Army and the Sec- 
retary of War based upon the effort of the former to 
exercise authority over the Supply Departments and 
control of the Army appropriations made by Congress. 

Those who supported this contention seem to have 
forgotten the purpose for which our Revolutionary War 
was fought, and also that a considerable portion of the 
English people at that time maintained similar views 
to those advanced in this country, and in fact so ex- 
pressed themselves in Parliament. The contest in both 
countries was against an arbitrary and despotic form of 
government, such as is instituted when the doctrine of 
the divine right of kings to rule is maintained. The 
doctrine of the divine right of kings to rule neces- 



10 THE QUAETEKMASTEE COEPS 

sarily carries with it tlie control of tlie purse and th.e 
sword. As a result the form of government adopted in 
this country necessarily separated the power of the purse 
and the sword. The Secretary of War, who has almost 
without exception been a civilian, was charged with the 
custody and disbursement of the moneys appropriated 
by Congress for the support of the Army and for the 
property pertaining to the same. To assist the Secre- 
tary of War in the performance of these duties and 
financial and property responsibilities, the Congress 
established the Supply Departments, the Chiefs of 
which are each made by law responsible to the Secre- 
tary of War for the moneys appropriated for his sep- 
arate department, and the property held by it. 

A Secretary of War could not under his oath of office 
transfer these duties to the Commanding General ; and 
furthermore such transfer would be in violation of the 
fundamental principle adopted in the formation of our 
government, of separating the power of the purse and 
the sword from the control of one man. This point was 
shown with remarkable clearness and lucidity by Mr. 
Eoot, when, as Secretary of War, he advocated the 
formation of a General Staff and a Chief of Staff to 
have supervision and coordination over the Supply 
Departments. This did not give the right to administer 
those Departments, but was intended to remove the 
complaint at times made by the Commanding Geiieral 
of the Army that when recommendations were made to 
the Secretary of War by him the Chief of a Bureau 
concerned would go to the Secretary and urge the dis- 



introductio:n' ii 

approval of the recommendation ; while the actual facts 
were that the Secretary upon the receipt of a recom- 
mendation involving a disbursement of money, desiring 
to inform himself if funds were available to carry it 
out^ and if the funds could be used legally for the 
purpose recommended, therefore called upon the Chief 
of Bureau for report. 

The supervision and control of the Supply Depart- 
ments given to the Chief of Staff made it possible for 
him to adopt such steps as would enable him to be 
heard before decision was reached. But this did not 
contemplate denying a Chief of Bureau the right to 
perform his duty to the Secretary of War to protect 
him in the matter of the disbursement of money or ac- 
countability of property for which he, the Secretary 
of War, was, by law, solely responsible. Exception was 
taken by a Chief of Staff to a Bureau Chief bringing 
to the personal attention of the Secretary of War the 
fact that fraudulent vouchers were being forwarded to 
his office for administrative action and suggesting steps 
necessary to correct such practice. 

The Quartermaster Corps was created by the Army 
reorganization law passed in August, 1912. This act 
also provided a limitation upon the number of General 
Staff Officers who could be stationed on duty in Wash- 
ington; and the Congress, evidently convinced that the 
General Staff was exercising control and direction over 
the Supply Departments to an extent not intended in 
the law of 1903 creating the General Staff and defining 
its duties, placed in the act of 1912 legislation pro- 



12 THE QUAKTERMASTEE CORPS 

hibiting the General Staff from doing so in the future. 
The law also provided that the Chiefs of the Supply 
Departments could be appointed from the Army at 
large; but this legislation was, according to the terms 
of the law, not to apply in the case of the appointment 
of the Chief of the Quartermaster Corps until after 
January 1, 1917. Because of this exception, as to 
the Chief of the Quartermaster Corps, many members 
of the General Staff attributed the inspiration of the 
legislation affecting the General Staff to the Quarter- 
master Corps, but such inference was entirely un- 
founded. The fact is, however, that some General Staff 
oflScers in 1917 felt resentment against the Quarter- 
master Corps. 

According to Army Regulations the Quartermaster 
Corps is charged with the duty of providing means of 
transportation of every character, either under contract 
or in kind, which may be needed in the movement of 
troops and material of war. It furnishes all public 
animals employed in ithe service of the Army, the forage 
consumed by them, wagons and all articles necessary 
for their use, and the horse equipments for the Quar- 
termaster Corps. It furnishes clothing, camp and gar- 
rison equipage, barracks, storehouses, and other build- 
ings; constructs and repairs roads, railways, bridges; 
builds and charters ships, boats, docks, and wharves 
needed for military purposes; supplies subsist-ence for 
enlisted men and others entitled thereto; supplies ar- 
ticles for authorized sales and issues; furnishes lists of 
articles authorized to be kept for sale; gives instruc- 



Il^TRODUCTION 13 

tions for procuring, distributing, issuing, selling, and 
accounting for all quartermaster and subsistence sup- 
plies ; has charge of the supply and distribution of and 
accounting for funds for the payment of the Ai-my, and 
such other financial duties as are specially assigned to 
it; and attends to all matters connected with military 
operations which are not expressly assigned to some 
other bureau of the War Department. It had charge of 
all the National Cemeteries in the country, and under a 
law enacted in 1885, upon the Quartennaster Depart- 
ment was imposed the duty of providing for the freight 
shipments made by all of the Executive Departments 
of the Government. 

To carry out the duties imposed upon the Quarter- 
master Corps, the Office of the Quartermaster General 
was organized, as follows, and similar organizations 
were established at Depots and in the offices of the 
Chief Quartermasters of Departments. 

On January 1, 1917, just a few months before the 
declaration of war, the Office of the Quartermaster Gen- 
eral was organized into five divisions, each of them sub- 
divided into branches : 

(a) Administrative Division 

Administrative Branch 

Persomiel Branch 

Estimates, Reserve Depots and National Defense 

Act Branch 
Contracts Branch 
Claims Branch 
Cemeterial Branch 
Mail and Records Branch 
Miscellaneous Branch 



14 THE QUAKTERMASTEK CORPS 

(b) Finance and Accounting Division 

Deposits and Allotments Branch 
Money Accounts Branch 
Subsistence Keturns Branch 
Property Accounts Branch 
Financial Branch 
Apportionments Branch 

(c) Supplies Division 

Supplies Branch 

Clothing and Equipage Branch 

(d) Construction and Repair Division 

Construction Branch 
Mechanical Branch 
Reser\^ation Branch 
Drafting Branch 
Miscellaneous Branch 

(e) Transportation Division 

Land Transportation Branch 
Water Transportation Branch 
Remount Branch 
Miscellaneous Branch 

Expansion of and Changes in the Office of the Quarter- 
master General Due to War Conditions in the 
Year 1917 ' 

The above organization remained intact until April 
2, 1917. 

On May 16, 1917, by direction of the Secretary of 
War, a division to be known as the Cantonment Division 
was established in the Office of the Quartermaster Gen- 
eral. This division was charged with the construction 
of all the buildings at the National Guard and National 
Army Camps, and under the orders of the Chief of the 
Division was to report direct to the Secretary of War 
and the Chief of Staff on all matters relating to con- 
struction, the Quartermaster General being charged 



INTRODUCTION 15 

witli only the duty of preparing the estimates of funds 
required for submission to Congress. This change took 
from the Office of the Quartermaster General all the 
officers, engineers, architects and clerks trained in the 
matter of construction and repair. 

Because of the competition resulting from the various 
Supply Departments undertaking construction of build- 
ings under the authority of law contained in the De- 
ficiency Bill, which law was at variance with the Law of 
1912, placing upon the Quartermaster Corps the duty 
of undertaking all construction for the Army, and creat- 
ing decentralization instead of centralization in time 
of war, the Secretary of War on October 5, 1917, 
directed that all buildings and construction rendered 
necessary in the United States by the emergency should 
be undertaken by the Cantonment Division above men- 
tioned. This Division, as stated, functioned direct with 
the Secretary of War and Chief of Staff on such mat- 
ters. The one officer and few clerks remaining in the 
Construction and Repair Division were transferred to 
the Cantonment Division; and the Consti-uction and 
Repair Division of the Office of the Quartermaster 
General was abolished. 

On August 15, 1917, under the provisions of Office 
Orders 'No. 76, there was established a branch of the 
Supplies Division to be known as the Storage Branch. 

The Remount Branch of the Transportation Division 
was abolished on October 3, 1917, by Office Orders No. 
100, and a separate Division to be known as the Re- 
mount Division was established. This Division was 



16 THE QUAETEEMASTER CORPS 

charged with, all the duties and functions pertaining 
to the Remount Branch and with the administration 
and supervision of the Remount Service created by 
General Orders, War Department, September 25, 1917. 

A branch of the Supplies Division to be known as 
the Conservation Branch was established on October 5, 
1917, per Office Orders No. 102, To this branch was 
assigned all matters relating to the conservation of food 
and other products at posjis, camps, cantonments and 
other stations. 

The Personnel Branch of the Administrative Division 
was made a separate Division to consist of the Com- 
missioned Personnel, Enlisted Personnel and Civilian 
Personnel Branches, by Office Orders No. 104, October 
9, 1917. 

Followed by the above change, a Division was created 
in the Office of the Quartermaster General, to be known 
as the "Warehousing Division." The duties performed 
by the Storage Branch and the Cable Service and Over- 
seas Shipment Branch were transferred to the Ware- 
housing Division. Office Order No. 109, October 29, 
1917, gives in detail the functions of the Warehousing 
Division. The Conservation Branch of the Supplies 
Division was made an independent division of the office 
on November 8, 1917, by Office Orders No, 114 to meet 
the increase in work. On December 14, 1917, a branch 
was established in the Supplies Division to be known 
as the Fuel and Forage Branch by Office Orders 
No. 126. 



II 



PEESONNEL 



Civilian personnel — Commissioned personnel — Enlisted 
Cemeterial branch. 



The Civilian Personnel of the Office of the Quarter- 
master General During the Period of the World War 
Up to December 31, 1917. — Some months before the 
actual declaration of war, which was on April 6, 1917, 
a careful study was made of the status of the civilian 
force as it existed in the Quartermaster General's Office, 
and as to what its probable requirements for the future 
would be. 

The aim and plan were to have it continue an efficient 
and homogeneous forc& — one that would do the maxi- 
mum amount of work with the minimum number of 
employees. It was the intention not to swell the num- 
ber at any time beyond the current and actual needs, but 
only increase it as the volume of the work increased. 

In the first instance, the amount of floor space at the 
disposal of the office was limited, being only sufficient 
for the requirements of the 323 employees then in the 
service, so that all the available space was occupied 
when war was declared. Some of the Branches even at 
that time occupied rooms on the second, third, fourth 

17 



18 THE QUAETEEMASTER CORPS 

and fifth floors of the State, War and E"avy Building, 
and one division in the Lemon Building, and because 
of this separation could not even then work to the best 
advantage. 

Having this condition in view, and casting ahead to 
the probable developments of the future, a plan had 
been devised by which it was feasible to work three 
shifts of about seven and three-quarter hours each for 
every day in the week, including holidays and Sundays, 
allowing only about twenty minutes for the change of 
shifts and cleaning the rooms. 

When war was declared, a call was made at once for 
something over 200 clerks and messengers. This extra 
force when secured was crowded into the existing space, 
and overtime work was required and cheerfully per- 
formed, nearly all throughout the office. 

From time to time additional employees were re- 
quested. Much difficulty was experienced in obtain- 
ing them through the Civil Service Commission, which 
was swamped with calls for civilian personnel. In the 
meantime, the work was increasing heavily from day 
to day, necessitating, as stated, universal overtime and 
the hardest work by the office force, while the super- 
visory and executive force were'- especially hard hit. 
Each call for more help was carefully considered, as 
had been earlier determined upon, so that only the 
number actually required would be provided, and which 
could be taken care of and employed to the best ad- 
vantage. 

The second shift was before long put on. The work 



PERSONNEL 19 

and the number of employees continued to increase, 
with the result that in the rush and confusion it be- 
came harder and harder to keep up, or take care of the 
work, and especially as the clerical force which had 
been so swollen was composed of new and untrained 
people who had to be instructed and looked after closely. 
But clerks of any description were hard to obtain at 
that time. Many of them had barely passed the Civil 
Service Examination, for it was the policy to employ 
only those who had a Civil Service status — much as this 
policy added to the difficulty. 

It was not long before the experienced and able clerks 
who were in charge sought and were given commissions 
in the Army. Under the ruling of the Department, 
made about that time, these experienced men — now 
officers — were forbidden to remain in the bureaus or 
offices where they had served as civilians. This was a 
severe blow and gi'eatly crippled the office, as trained 
clerks to instruct the new appointees were needed, and 
furthermore those taken from the office were among its 
most qualified men — men whose long years of training 
and thorough knowledge of the work of the office were 
invaluable and could not be replaced as they were fa- 
miliar with the laws, decisions and precedents and were 
therefore qualified to prepare the tables of requirements 
and draw up the estimates for Congress. Reference will 
be made later to the embarrassment to the service caused 
by the assignment of these men to duty in other stations. 

Some idea may be had of the volume of mail when — 
on an exceptional day — there were over 111,000 pieces 



20 THE QUAETEEMASTER COEPS 

of mail, consisting of letters, indorsements, reports, 
statements, returns, accounts, etc. 

It had become necessary, owing to tJie lack of space 
and to meet exigencies, to put on another or the third 
shift in various divisions of the office. Any of the 
trained and experienced clerks who had remained were 
nearly broken down — and some did break down — be- 
cause of arduous exertion and long hours. 

The force by December 31, 1917, had grown to nearly 
six times what it was when war was declared, or close 
to 1,800 employees. It had, therefore, become neces- 
sary to secure office space in outside buildings. While 
this arrangement was absolutely necessary, it had its 
drawbacks, for time was lost and delays and disad- 
vantages occasioned because of the wide separation of 
the force — even kindred divisions which were inter- 
locked and worked together could not now because of 
their size be kept near each other. In this time of great 
stress and difficulty, when cramped for space, working 
under pressure for long hours, and without sanitary 
surroundings, the civilian force labored willingly and 
faithfully — for all of which they deserve the greatest 
credit. 

Reserve Supply of Blaiik Forms and Books for the 
Quartermaster General's Office. — Early in March, 1917, 
the outlook was very threatening, and danger of war 
was imminent. In view of this and after mature con- 
sideration, it was deemed advisable to provide against 
all eventualities with regard to the necessary reserve 
supply of blank forms and books for use of troops in 



PERSONNEL 21 

case of war and quick mobilization of the military 
forces. 

In view of tJie above conditions and to expedite tbe 
work and printing as much as possible, consultation was 
had with the officials of the Government Printing Of- 
fice who agreed, after explanation showing the impor- 
tance and urgency of the work, to give such work of the 
Quartermaster General's Office the right of way. And 
in pursuance of such understanding, there was ordered 
printed at the Government Printing Office, Washington, 
D. C, on March 13, 1917, 31,538,000 blank forms and 
books at a cost of $235,606.36 as a reserve stock for 
the transportation, subsistence, clothing and pay of 
seventy divisions — 2,000,000 men — in addition to the 
immense regular stock on hand for the maintenance of 
the Arm}''. 

By the end of April, 1917, the reserve stock of forms 
and books were delivered by the Government Printing 
Office and stored ready for issuance when called for. 
For the storage of this large reserve stock of blank forms 
and books, 20,000 square feet of floor space was ac- 
quired adjoining the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad 
Yards, 1514 Ecking-ton Place, so shipments could be 
handled without delay. 

When orders were issued to mobilize, each detach- 
ment, company, regiment and division was equipped 
with the necessary forms and books at the camps and 
mobilization points to transport, feed, clothe and pay 
the troops as fast as they entered the service. This 
office also sent a supply overseas to take care of the 



22 THE QUAETEKMASTEE COEPS 

troops upon arrival. No complaint or criticism as to 
delay in supplying the troops with the necessary forms 
and books was received. It must be remembered that 
this immense number of blank forms were purchased 
when no funds were available to pay for them. The 
officials of the Government Printing Office undertook 
the work with full knowledge of the conditions and 
with the understanding that estimates would be suV 
mitted for the funds. If they had been lacking in 
courage or had failed to cooperate with the Quarter- 
master General's Office serious delays and difficulties 
would have resulted. Acknowledg-ments are due to 
those officials for their assistance. 

It is thought that the work performed by the Quar- 
termaster Corps in the year 1917 can best be described 
by giving an account of that performed by each Division 
of the Office. It must be understood, however, that the 
Divisions are coordinated and that work assigned to 
one Division required cooperation and assistance from 
other Divisions. 

PERSONNEL DIVISION 

Commissioned Personnel 

By a War Department Order published about 1912 
the number of officers authorized to be detailed for duty 
in the various Bureaus of the War Department was 
established. Congress passed an appropriation in Au- 
gust, 1914, for the relief of Americans abroad who be- 
cause of war conditions were unable to obtain money 



PERSONNEL 23 

to pay for their passage home. The Assistant Secretary 
of War was sent abroad on a battleship accompanied 
by a number of officers to provide the relief afforded by 
the Congress to American citizens. An officer on duty 
in the Office of the Quartermaster General had a few 
years before graduated from the iScole de I'Intendance 
in Paris, and was detailed to accompany the Assistant 
Secretary of War. Such officer remained abroad on this 
duty until this country declared war on April 6, 1917, 
being carried as on "temporary duty abroad" and still 
being included among the number of officers limited 
for duty in the Office of the Quartermaster General. 

After the declaration of war the enormous increase of 
work necessitated the detail of another officer in the 
Office of the Quartermaster General and request for 
such an assignment was made, whereupon the attention 
of the Quartermaster General was called to the order 
above referred to limiting the number of officers on duty 
in his office and directing that a statement be submitted 
showing whether the assignment requested would in- 
crease the number of officers authorized for duty in his 
office. Explanation was made that an officer of the 
Department had been abroad since August, 1914, re- 
ported as on "temporary duty," whose station was Wash- 
ington, D. C., and duty in the Office of the Quarter- 
master General; that another officer was needed to 
assume his duties in the office, due to the enormous in- 
crease in work, and that at the time the request was 
made for the assig-nment to duty in the office, the of- 
ficer then abroad was performing duty under General 



24 THE QUAETEEMASTER CORPS 

Pershing's directions. After the delay resulting from 
all this correspondence, the detail requested was finally 
made, but of course it added unnecessarily to the work 
of the office: and such action does not evidence the 
hearty spirit of cooperation and assistance which might 
properly be expected at a time when everyone was 
endeavoring to assist in preparing the country for war. 
The Quartermaster General, by an office order, con- 
stituted a Board of Officers, from the officers on duty 
in his office^ to consider matters affecting the Quarter- 
master Corps. This Board gave consideration to our 
experiences on the Mexican border in 1916, and also 
made a thorough study of the various reports of the 
Military attaches and others regarding the war then 
being waged in Europe, and submitted a very thorough 
and comprehensive study for the proper organization 
of the Quartermaster Corps. The Board recommended 
the formation of Quartermaster organizations then not 
in existence or heard of in our Army, but every one of 
which were brought into existence before the termina- 
tion of the war. This report was submitted to the 
General Staff for approval in December, 1916, but 
although frequent efforts were made, no action was 
ever obtained upon it. This failure caused considerable 
delay, as the creation of a new organization had to 
await a call for it from General Pershing, which call 
was based, of course, on a study of the English and 
French organizations; a study already made by the 
Board, not with so complete data as was available 
abroad. The practical correctness of this study was 



PERSONNEL 25 

demonstrated after our entrance in tlie war when the 
Quartermaster General received the assignment for 
duty in his office of two officers belonging to the De- 
partment of the Quartermaster General for the Forces 
of the British Army, of an officer of the Corps de I'ln- 
tendance, and also an officer of Engineers of the French 
Army. All of these officers had served in the field 
during the war and their selection would indicate that 
their own governments reposed confidence in their 
ability and felt that their practical experience for 
nearly three years of war, not considering their other 
long years of service, would enable them to be of 
great assistance to us in our preparations ; which they 
were. But unfortunately approval of the establish- 
ment of new organizations had to await the call for them 
and therefore they were not ready to be dispatched when 
called for. The further fact that the shipping of 
troops abroad commenced about nine months before the 
original programme contemplated doing so, indicates 
the advantages which would have been received by the 
early approval of the report of the Board submitted in 
December, 1916. 

Organizations of the Reserve Officers were effected at 
various places throughout the country and officers and 
non-commissioned officers of the Quartennaster Depart- 
ment instructed them in their duties by courses of lec- 
tures and practical instruction in the business methods 
of the Department. The English and French officers on 
duty in the office of the Qifartermaster General ably 
assisted by delivering lectures, based upon their experi- 



26 THE QUARTERMASTER CORPS 

ence, before the Reserve Officers in Washington, and 
also delivered lectures to the students in the Quarter- 
master Training School at Camp Joseph E. Johnstone^ 
near Jacksonville, Florida. 

Business men in various cities arranged with officers 
and non-commissioned officers for courses of instruction 
in the business methods of the Department to prepare 
themselves to take the examination for Commission in 
the Quartermaster Corps. 

When the United States entered the World War, the 
National Defence Act of June 3, 1916, Kad only 
partially gone into effect. That Act increased the exist- 
ing number of officers in the Quartermaster Corps, num- 
bering 113 by 183, making a total allowance for the 
Corps of 296, exclusive of the 67 second lieutenants 
commissioned as such from the former pay clerks of the 
Army. 

The law provided that the 183 additional officers be 
added in five increments; one increment each year be- 
ginning with 1916, or an annual increase of 36 officers. 
Due to the threatening situation, the proviso of the 
National Defense Act authorizing the addition of all 
five increments in case of an emergency, had been made 
operative by Executive Order, so that on April 6th, 
the day the country entered the War, the Corps con- 
sisted of 205 officers, 91 short of its total number. This 
205 was composed of two groups of officers, 55 belong- 
ing to the permanent Quartermaster Corps and 150 to 
the line, the latter detailed for duty under the Army 
Reorganization Act of 1901 for a period of four years. 



PEKSONNEL 27 

It is necessary at this point to refer to the detail 
system in certain of the Staff Departments instituted 
by the Army Reorganization Act of 1901. Prior to that 
time, for a number of years and following the Civil 
War, the officers of the Staff Departments had been 
permanently appointed. The method of their selection 
was vicious and largely due to influence; but this was 
eliminated in some Departments and could very readily 
be extended to all so as to make it possible to secure 
capable, energetic and progressive officers, trained and 
expert in their several specialties. Their appointment 
was also for life and with promotion by seniority the 
attainment of rank was assured before retirement. It 
was a vicious system and should have been con*ected. 
Unfortunately during the Spanish War a large number 
of permanent Staff officers secured commissions in the 
Volunteers with high rank. Every officer, except one, 
in a certain Staff Department, received a volunteer 
commission in the line. Thus they secured advance- 
ment and rank to which line officers were fairly entitled. 
Our so-called Military policy had been to create a larger 
staff than required in time of peace, so that when the 
Army was expanded in time of war trained staff 
officers would be available. To appoint such trained 
officers in the line disregards their value to the service, 
as also the right of line officers to such advanced rank. 
Such appointments naturally caused resentment in the 
line of the Army and the detail system was proposed 
as a corrective. If the law had limited the detail to the 
lower grades, and then provided for a competitive ex- 



28 THE QUAETEKMASTEE COKPS 

amination for permanent appointment in the Corps, and 
made such permanent appointees ineligible for appoint- 
ment in the line of the Army, the many evils existing 
would have been eradicated and the Staff Departments 
would not have been crippled as they were during the 
largest and most serious war in which the country has 
ever been engaged, by withdrawing from them at a 
critical time the detail men and assigning them to the 
line with higher rank. 

The Quartermaster General called the attention of 
the Chief of Staff to this detachment of the detailed 
officers in his Department, and to the billions of dollars 
then appropriated for the use of the Quartermaster 
Corps and the very small number of trained officers 
remaining to do the work and protect the government 
funds and property. An officer of the British General 
Staff, on learning of the detail system, expressed sur- 
prise and amazement to the Quartermaster General, 
saying that Americans were noted as being practical 
men and inquired if they did not realize that the war 
was one of experts and specialists. 

In the former Subsistence Department a course of 
training was adopted for the officers when appointed 
therein, consisting of a course at the Bureau of Chem- 
istry, Department of Agriculture in qualitative anal- 
ysis of food products, the study of butter and fats, the 
use of the microscope and the saccharometer, followed 
by a course in packing of meat food products, next a 
detail at one of the large purchasing stations, followed 
by a course at the School for Bakers and Cooks. This 



PERSONNEL 29 

required about four years. The detailed officers could 
not be given this full course because of the time re^- 
quired, but were sent to take the course at the School 
for Bakers and Cooks, and were thus enabled upon the 
termination of their detail to return to the line better 
qualified to supervise the messing arrangements of their 
companies. 

In addition to the officers of the permanent establish- 
ment, the National Defense Act also established the 
Officers' Reserve Corps. The Reserve Corps was in- 
tended to supplement the Regular Army during periods 
of emergency expansion, and was designed so that 
officers could be selected, commissioned and available 
for call to active duty when the exigencies of the service 
demanded. The examination and selection of candidates 
had progressed leisurely and methodically until we 
entered the War, when, under the impetus of possible 
service, applications poured in from all over the coun- 
try and the various parts of the world. The regulations 
controlling the procedure for admission to the Reserve 
Corps were not suitable to emergency conditions, yet 
had to be followed in the absence of any suitable substi- 
tute therefor or any abbreviated system which could 
be followed. This created a deplorable congestion of 
paper work, causing long delays before an actual com- 
mission could be issued a candidate and make him 
legally available for active duty. The work of examin- 
ing candidates; preparing the necessary papers; and 
routing the reports through the numerous channels 
only added to the labors, already heavy, imposed on the 



30 THE QUAETEEMASTER CORPS 

regular officers in the Corps. The earliest boards ap- 
pointed to make selections of Reserve Corps Officers 
were convened in September, 1916, and up to April 12, 
1917, had succeeded in passing upon 436 successful 
cases, with the major part of these rushed through by 
local boards at the last moment, and requiring review by 
different agencies in the War Department. 

The volume of applications grew so large that it was 
necessary to close the list to all received after April 
1 1th and, on checking up those received before the list 
closed, there were on April 12, 1917, 4,930 cases of rec- 
ord requiring action. Applications subsequently received 
were returned to writers advising them that the list 
was closed and no more requests would be entertained. 

On July 1, 1917, the status of the Reserve Corps 
showed 1,700 officers actually commissioned and avail- 
able for call to active duty; 400 cases completed and 
awaiting the issuance of commissions by the Adjutant 
General's Office, with 3,266 cases yet to be heard from 
or requiring revision or correction of some part of the 
examining board's record. 

On July 15th the Reserve Officers available for call 
to active duty were being ordered to stations, camps, 
depots, ports of embarkation, France, and other duties 
at an average rate of twenty to thirty per day, so that 
by August 1st the available list was nearly exhausted 
and the supply through the examination routine could 
not meet the demand. Because of the enormous amount 
of work placed upon the officers of the Corps in con- 
ducting the examinations for commissions in the Officers 



PERSONNEL 31 

Reserve Corps, and in examining and passing upon the 
various reports of the Examining Boards, the Quarter- 
master General, about June 1st requested two hundred 
men from each of the Ofiicers Training Camps who 
failed to qualify for line commissions be assigned to 
the Quartermaster Corps. At the same time it was 
purposed to establish a Quartermaster training camp 
and to send the men from the Officers Training Camps 
to qualify them by a course of instruction for the vari- 
ous duties devolved upon the Quartermaster Corps. 
This school was also to be used to train the enlisted 
men of the Quartermaster Corps in some of their duties. 
At the time the request for the men from the Officers 
Training Camps was made, it was contemplated to re- 
ceive authority to establish the training camp, have the 
location selected and the camp constructed by the time 
the Officers Training Camps completed the course of in- 
struction, some time about the close of August. The 
laen would then go at once to the' Quartermaster Train- 
ing Camp, and after the course there would be available 
for assignment to duty. The following letter was pre- 
pared and forwarded on the date indicated: 

WAR DEPARTMENT 

Office of the Quartermaster General of the Army, 

No. 354.I.P. Washington, June 8, 1917. 

From: Quartermaster General. 

To: The Adjutant General of the Army. 

Subject: Mobilization and Training Camp, Quarter- 
master Corps Personnel. 



82 THE QUAKTERMASTER CORPS 

1. In the future tlie Quartermaster Corps will be 
confronted with the problem of supplying various or- 
ganizations and individuals of the Quartermaster Corps 
to divisions and other formations ordered for duty 
abroad or to be established abroad, such as division 
supply and ammunition trains, remount depots, supply 
depots, transport workers, battalions, bakery companies, 
wagon companies, pack companies, repair shops for 
clothing, shoes, harness, wood and metal articles of 
equipment, laundry and cleaning establishments, supply 
companies Quartermaster Corps, labor and salvage com- 
panies, and possibly various other units. 

2. Authority has been obtained to enlist approx- 
imately 16,000 enlisted- men Quartermaster Enlisted 
Reserve Corps, and additional authority was requested 
on May 26 to increase this number to 45,000 enlisted 
men. It is anticipated that this last number will have 
to be doubled within eight months. 

3. In order to have these men undergo training and 
to have a definite place of mobilization, keeping in 
mind the desirability of a mild climate and nearness to 
the eastern seaboard, it is believed a Quartermaster 
Corps training and mobilization camp should be estab- 
lished on a large scale in the southern part of the East- 
ern Department, preferably in the vicinity of Richmond 
or Newport 'News, Va., where various Quartermaster 
Corps organizations could be mobilized as rapidly as 
enlisted and given such preliminary training as possible 
before their services are needed at division camps in 
this country, or with formations sent or created abroad. 

4. It is understood that camps similar to the above 
have been authorized for the Medical Department, the 
Signal Corps and the Engineer Corps. 

5. Such a camp should be in addition to the division 



PERSONNEL 33 

camps and should be large enough to accommodate an 
average daily strength passing through the camp, vary- 
ing from 10,000 to 20,000 enlisted men and approx- 
imately 300 officers in charge of the camp and in com- 
mand of the reserve organizations therein. 

6. It is believed one such Quartennaster mobiliza- 
tion and training camp will be more economical, more 
efficient for the purpose in view and in every other way 
more desirable than Quartermaster camps as separate 
adjuncts to the sixteen division area training camps. 
Only such personnel and equipment as would be re- 
quired to handle the routine affairs of the latter camps 
and enable the divisions passing through them to be 
trained as a complete unit would probably be furnished 
such camps. 

7. The prompt establishment of such camp is con- 
sidered necessary now in order to organize properly a 
system of replacements and of furnishing in the first 
instance trained Quartennaster Corps units to the vari- 
ous divisions, as the latter are made ready and ordered 
for duty abroad, as well as to furnish numerous special 
and technical units for the service of the rear abroad. 

8. It is estimated the acreage required for such 
camp would be approximately 2,000 acres and prac- 
tically the same conditions as were laid down for the 
cantonment camps for the sixteen training divisions 
should govern the location of this camp in respect to 
transportation facilities, water and nature of soil. It 
is estimated the cost would be about $4,000,000, and it 
would be desirable to lease the site for at least three 
years with an option to purchase same at any time be- 
fore the expiration of the lease, should later events show 
complete ownership to be desirable. No tentage is 
available. 

9. Authority is therefore requested for this office 



34 THE QUAKTEEMASTER CORPS 

to submit a special estimate for the necessary funds to 
cover the lease, the camp site and to erect the necessary 
buildings, roads and stnictures thereon to carry out the 
above plan. 

10. In compliance with (W.C.D. 6,277-166) in- 
structions from the Adjutant General's Office, dated 
June 3, 1917, the above plan has been considered after 
informal conference by an officer of this office with 
Major Kingman, War College Division of the General 
Staff. 

HENRY G. SHARPE, 

Quartermaster General. 

^Nearly a month elapsed before this request was ap- 
proved. Upon receiving notice of the approval, request 
was immediately made for the location of the camp at 
Manassas, Va. The matter was held in abeyance for 
some time, as the General Staif officer to whom it had 
been referred was inclined to reconsider the question as 
to the desirability of authorizing the establishment of 
the camp. His attention was drawn to the fact of the 
approval by the Secretary of War of the project, after 
full consideration. On July 20, 1917, a Board of 
Officers was appointed- to select the location of the camp 
and the Cantonment Division was prepared to under- 
take the construction. By direction of the Secretary 
of War, an officer was sent on August 1st to inspect a 
camp site at Jacksonville, Florida. The selection of 
the Jacksonville camp site was approved on August 9, 
1917. A long delay next ensued in awarding the con- 
tract for the construction of the camp due to the fact 
that an effort was made to have the contract awarded to 



PERSONNEL 35 

a local firm instead of the firai selected by tlie War De- 
partment. The result was that the construction of the 
camp was not started until about the 1st of September. 
When request for authority to establish the camp was 
made, it was fully and reasonably expected that it would 
be ready for occupancy about September 1st, and the 
men coming from the Officers Training Camps could 
be ordered there for necessary instruction. This was 
not the case, due to the delay above cited, and the camp 
was not completed until some time in November, 1917. 
This is an important fact to remember, for when the 
Quartermaster General made application for authority 
to appoint some technical officers, the application would 
be returned for infoiTaation why the officers were not 
selected from the 3,045 men who graduated from the 
Schools. As a class, these were a fine lot of men, and 
many excellent officers were later developed from among 
the number. 

If a suitable steel for rifle barrels is supplied, is it 
fair and reasonable to assume that the finished barrels, 
with the accurate rifling, can be produced without the 
necessary machinery ? 

On page 41 of his book entitled "America's Race to 
Victory," Lieut. Colonel Requin asks : "Was it neces- 
sary to wait three months before opening an artillery- 
school in the United States?" and adds: "Evidently 
not." He continues: "We shall conclude by saying: 
'That if it was justifiable to await General Pershing's 
recommendations and to follow them scrupulously in 
everything concerning general plans of organization, 



36 THE QUAKTERMASTEE CORPS 

training and transportation, it would have been prefer- 
able to take day by day and without delay such meas- 
ures as must in any case aid in the execution of these 
plans, relieve the crushing burden of the Commander in 
Chief of the Expeditionary Eorces, and lastly, save 
precious time.' " 

The National Defense Act of Jime 3, 1916, created a 
Reserve Officers Corps. Many of the most efficient and 
valuable clerks in the Office of the Quartermaster Gen- 
eral, men who for years had satisfactorily filled the im- 
portant positions of principal clerks of Divisions and 
Branches, took the examinations and qualified for com- 
missions in the Quartermaster's Officers Reserve Corps. 
It was the intention of the Quartermaster General to 
call these men into service and assign them for duty 
in his office in charge of the Divisions and Branches 
with the work of which they were entirely familiar, 
being informed concerning the various laws, decisions 
and precedents relating to same. This plan would have 
provided the trained officers for the several shifts of 
clerks which were necessary to transact the rapidly in- 
creasing business. 

It is necessary to explain that with the exception of 
the Insular, Militia and Coast Artillery Bureaus all 
Bureau Chiefs having any correspondence with the Sec- 
retary of War or Chief of Staff must address the corre- 
spondence to the Adjutant General, and that officer 
presents it for consideration. The Bureau Chief can, 
of course, see either of these officials personally about a 
matter pertaining to his own specific duties. Would it 



PERSONNEL 37 

be considered good administration for the President or 
General Manager of a railroad to require his Chief 
Engineer, General Superintendent, General Freight 
Manager, General Traffic Manager, Superintendent of 
Motive Power or Treasurer to address all matters per- 
taining to their several departments to the Secretary of 
the railroad and have the latter present them for con- 
sideration ? Effort has been made in the past v^^ithout 
avail to have this unbusinesslike method changed. The 
adoption of this form of procedure necessarily throws 
an immense amount of work on the Adjutant General's 
Office and is persisted in under the claim that his is an 
office of record. It is, for the matters which under the 
law it is charged with, but the Office of the Quarter- 
master General is the office of record for everything, ex- 
cept personnel, pertaining to the Quartermaster Corps. 
An officer desiring a certificate of non-indebtedness ob- 
tains same from the Quartermaster General, which of- 
ficial also passes upon his financial and property re- 
sponsibility and keeps accounts of all the funds appro- 
priated by Congress for the Corps, and makes cer- 
tificates to the courts as to the records shown by his 
office in any case before the courts. To effect the call 
of these Reserve Officers to active duty and receive their 
assignment for duty in his office the Quartermaster 
General made application to the Adjutant General some 
time in May. The application was returaed disap- 
proved, and after seeing the Secretary of War the re- 
quest for assignment was returned asking for a reconsid- 
eration ; it was again returned from General Bliss, the 



38 THE QUAKTERMASTER CORPS 

Acting Chief of Staff, disapproved; and with the con- 
sent of the Secretary was submitted again for reconsid- 
eration and was returned disapproved, the Acting Chief 
of Staff taking the position that to approve would create 
criticism of the War Department, as of two Civil Serv- 
ice men living in adjoining houses in Washington one 
would be given a Commission and the other not. It was 
shown that both could obtain them if they passed the 
examination and their assignment to a station would 
depend upon their ability to perform the duties of 
same. The submission of this application through the 
Adjutant General was proper because it related to a 
personnel matter and that department is an office of 
record for such matters. The Adjutant General, in sub- 
mitting the application for the consideration of the 
Chief of Staff, forwarded to him a memorandum on the 
subject, which stated in effect that to approve the ap- 
plication would be the cause of dissatisfaction among 
those clerks in his (the Adjutant General's) office who 
were superannuated and physically disqualified for 
commissions and recommended that the men when com- 
missioned be assigned to other stations and men at those 
stations ordered to the office of the Quartermaster Gen- 
eral. This was shown by a memorandum from the Ad- 
jutant General to the Chief of Staff, a copy of which 
had, probably, inadvertently been left at the Mail and 
Record Room of the Office of the Quartermaster Gen- 
eral. It is understood that the clerks in the Adjutant 
General's Office were not allowed to be given commis- 
sions in the Officers' Reserve Corps of that Department. 



PEKSON^NEL 39 

A number of the highly qualified clerks in the Adju- 
tant General's office had passed the examinations and 
been given commissions as Reserve Officers of the Quar- 
teiTQaster's Corps, but there was never any thought or 
intention of requesting their assignment to duty in the 
Office of the Quartermaster General. They were all or- 
dered to other stations and later one or more of them 
was returned to Washington for duty in the Adjutant 
General's Department. The Secretary of War agreed 
as to the impropriety of the memorandum of the Ad- 
jutant General as it affected the office administration 
and responsibility of another Bureau Chief and was a 
matter which concerned only that Bureau Chief and the 
Secretary of War. But, as stated, the request for re- 
consideration was returned by General Bliss, the Acting 
Chief of Staff adhering to the previous action of dis- 
approval. 

A decision was then made that any Civil Service Em- 
ployees or enlisted men, when given commissions as Re- 
serve Officers and called to active duty, must be sent to 
some other station than the one they were at when 
called into service. This decision necessitated the as- 
signment of all these valuable and highly efficient of- 
ficers to other stations and deprived the office of their 
assistance at a most critical time. In passing, it need 
only be noted that in January, 1918, nearly all of them 
were, upon the request of the then Acting Quarter- 
master General, assigned to duty in his office. 

About August 15th, the first officers training camps, 
fourteen ijj number, concluded their work, and from 



40 THE QUAETEKMASTER CORPS 

these camps 3,045 second lieutenants were commis- 
sioned in the Quartermaster Corps. 

The list of Reserve Corps Officers and the 3,045 
second lieutenants commissioned at the training camps 
contained many able business men, experienced in their 
own lines of business; but there were very few who 
possessed any knowledge whatsoever of the Army, its 
needs, requirements, etc. This lack of knowledge made 
it necessary to place at least 90 per cent, of the civilian 
officers called to duty in subordinate positions where 
they might learn how best to apply their individual 
ability to the numerous duties and functions of the 
Corps and subsequently rise to executive positions. 
The other 10 per cent, of so-called civilian officers came 
from the former Quartermaster Sergeants and clerks 
of the Quartermaster Corps. These men had the army 
technique but in a large number of cases lacked the 
executive perspective necessary for the period of ex- 
pansion and ever increasing responsibilities. To leaven 
this group of officers, nearly 7,000, a small coterie of 
regular officers, amounting at no time to more than 
180 to 190, were available and these were scattered 
from the Philippines to France, with the majority 
of the line officers detailed to the Corps impatient to 
get back to duty with troops. 

With the creation of the first sixteen ^National Army 
divisions August, 1917, 66 officers of the Regular Army 
then with the Corps (22 per cent.) were removed from 
the Corps and assigned to duty with combatant troops, 
leaving overnight the duties they were engaged upon, 



PERSONNEL 41 

in the hands of inexperienced or subordinate officers — 
in some cases to non-conunissioned officers. Many of 
the officers so transferred to line troops were perform- 
ing duties of great importance, and their departure 
created delay and confusion which impeded the trans- 
action of urgent public business to the detriment of the 
service until successors could gather together the loose 
ends and readjust matters. 

Foreseeing the natural desire of line officers to return 
to the line, many efforts were made to have the situa- 
tion of the Corps appreciated and to secure authority 
for a normally expanding organization, balanced both 
as regards the number of officers as well as to an 
equitable adjustment of rank. It was fully recognized 
by the Quartermaster General that in order to hold the 
line officers they must be assured of equal opportunities 
of advancement in rank with their contemporaries, and 
also that, in justice to civilian officers, their opportuni- 
ties for advanced rank should not be less than that ac- 
corded officers going to line regiments and duties. 

With this in view, a board of officers was convened 
in June, 1917, in the Office of the Quartermaster Gen- 
eral to consider the matter, and on August 8th a mem- 
orandum was sent to the Chief of Staff, recommending 
that an elastic and automatic allowance of officers be 
authorized for the Quartermaster Corps, both as a 
necessity for the good of the service and as a matter of 
expediency to overcome delays incident to separate and 
fonnal requests when new activities demanded ad- 
ditional officers. It had been found that needless delay 



42 THE QtTAKTEBMASTER COEPS 

was invariably experienced by submitting each situa- 
tion separately for consideration and approval by the 
General Staff, which was then greatly over-worked. 
The reco-mmendation submitted was based on an esti- 
mated requirements of six officers— for each 1,000 en- 
listed men in the service. The recommendation is re- 
corded as having been received at the War College 
Division of the General Staff on August 10th. 

On September 5th a Board of Officers was convened 
in the office of the Quartermaster General to consider 
the subject of expansion of commissioned personnel in 
the Quartermaster Corps. That board was convened in 
compliance with a memorandum issued by the Secre- 
tary of War, dated September 3, 1917, which directed 
that a memorandum be submitted for such additional 
legislation as might be considered necessary to properly 
strengthen the Quartermaster Corps and for the ef- 
ficient operation of the War Department during the 
War. The Board having cognizance of the recom- 
mendations submitted August 8, 1917, made a formal 
recommendation September 10, 1917, that the Quar- 
termaster Corps consist of the following number of 
officers: 235 Colonels, 235 Lieutenant Colonels, 705 
Majors, 3,525 Captains, 3,760 First Lieutenants, 3,525 
Second Lieutenants, a total of 11,985. 

At the same time the Board prepared and submitted 
a draft of a bill which would provide an elastic au- 
thority for progressive expansion of the Quartermaster 
Corps capable of meeting any condition likely to arise 
during the war. The estimate submitted, shown above, 



PERSONNEL 43 

was based on the supposition that an Army of two 
million men would be organized. 

'No definite results were accomplished by the fore- 
going, and the first real authorization for an expanded 
personnel was on December 27, 1917, when a mem- 
orandum was issued in the Office of the Chief of Staff 
authorizing the Quartermaster Corps to expand to 
6,651 officers. This was the net result of all efforts 
made to secure a properly balanced program whereby 
logical expansion could be conducted without discour- 
aging delays or by submitting each requirement as it 
developed to the General Staff for consideration. 

Had the recommendations of either August 8th or 
September 10, 1917, been approved, the Quartermaster 
Corps would have expanded normally and rationally to 
approximately 12,000 officers for an Army of two mil- 
lion men. In the light of our full experience, this 
number would have been about the normal had all the 
pre-war functions of the Quartermaster General re- 
mained within that Department and not been trans- 
ferred or converted into separate organizations. The 
soundness of those two recommendations above is sup- 
ported by the fact that on November 11, 1918, the date 
of the Armistice, there were 13,949 officers on duty in 
the Quartermaster Corps in spite of the fact that many 
of its pre-war functions had been taken away from it 
and absorbed in other Departments. (See Keport of 
Quartermaster General, 1919, page 171.) 

Had the Quartermaster Corps retained all of its 
functions it seems reasonable to assume that they would 



44 THE QUAETERMASTEK CORPS 

have found it necessary to have had approximately 
24,000 officers at the time the Armistice was signed, or 
the equivalent of the estimate made on August 8, 1917. 

The total authorized strength for the Quartermaster 
Corps on ISTovember 11, 1918, was 19,949 (see Report 
of Quartermaster General, page 172), but this was the 
result of a long, tedious up-hill climb, authority com- 
ing piecemeal and with each advance dragging the work 
along, awaiting official sanction. 

In addition to the efforts made to secure a reasonably 
balanced organization, special efforts were made to 
secure advancement for the second lieutenants of the 
Quartermaster Corps. These officers were formerly pay 
clerks and had been appointed second lieutenants in 
1916, the grade of second lieutenant being the high- 
est grade they could attain under the laws governing 
the regular establishment. 

On July 23, 1917, the Quartermaster General recom- 
mended the appointment of all pay clerks, second lieu- 
tenants, Quartermaster Corps, to the grade of Captain. 
These officers were the bext experts in the Army on 
Finance Accounting. Due to the rapidly increasing 
responsibility in that branch of the Quartermaster 
Corps these officers were disbursing large sums of money 
and giving their undivided attention to their work with- 
out commensurate rank. The recommendation was re- 
turned stating that the Quartermaster General could 
nominate 32 of the second lieutenants for the grade of 
captain and that these upon advancement would have 
to serve in the sixteen ISTational Army Divisions as 



PEKSONNEL 45 

assistants to the Division Quartermasters; the Tables 
of Organization for the Division authorizing five officers 
from the Quartermaster Corps. In the opinion of the 
Quartermaster General, the assignment of the pay 
clerks to the grade of captain as assistants to Division 
Quartermasters appeared to be an uneconomical assign- 
ment of those officers whereby the Army would lose 
the specific advantages of the knowledge and experi- 
ence possessed by them and accordingly declined to 
make the recommendations. 

On August 31, 1917, the Quartermaster General 
again renewed his recommendation that the sixty-four 
pay clerks, second lieutenants, be promoted to captains, 
but no action was taken thereon at that time. 

Under date of July 16, 1917, the Secretary of War 
ruled that it was undesirable to assign War Department 
clerks, who were officers in the Reserve Corps, to duty 
in the War Department. A large number of the clerks 
in the War Department had successfully passed the ex- 
amination for commission in the officers' Reserve Corps 
and were very able and competent men. Their services 
as officers in the expanding period of War Department 
activities would have been of exceptional value in ad- 
ministrative capacities and greatly assisted in the de- 
tails of developing the several branches of the Quarter- 
master Corps to meet the demands made on it, but the 
memorandum mentioned operated adversely in two di- 
rections. First, it removed from the Quartermaster 
General's Office many men whose services could not 
properly be spared at that time, leaving large gaps in 



46 THE QUARTEKMASTER CORPS 

the office force; and, second, it. required dispatching 
those same men as officers to activities where the Gov- 
ernment was not receiving the full measure of their 
ability. 

As an insufficient number of officers for the several 
shifts of clerks were available, the officers then on duty 
were compelled to remain on duty many additional 
hours each day with the result that several of them 
suffered serious physical breakdowns. 

The work of the Remount Branch of the Transporta- 
tion Division increased rapidly, and efforts were made 
to have it expanded so as to form a separate Division. 
An Administrative Personnel for it was recommended 
on August 26th, which was approved by a Committee 
of the General Staff, but on the recommendation of 
General Bliss, the Acting Chief of Staff, was disap- 
proved by the Secretary of War "until experience 
showed the necessity for the appointment of these of- 
ficers." After repeated and urgent requests by the Of- 
fice of the Quartermaster General and the Committee 
of the Council of ISTational Defense the necessary per- 
sonnel was appointed on October 12th. The Quarter- 
master General understood that the Chairman of the 
Committee informed the Chief of Staff (recently pro- 
moted) that unless the personnel was authorized he 
would resign from the Committee, as he was unwilling 
to risk his personal reputation by association with an 
organization so inadequately provided with adminis- 
trative officers. 

An expert leather man had been given a commission 



MilSONNEL 4f 

m tiie Officers' Reserve Coi*ps and was assigned to 
duty at the Jeffersonville Depot in charge of the in- 
spection of leather goods received under contract. Such 
officer reported that the civilian inspectors, obtained 
through the Civil Service Commission, had passed for 
acceptance "traces" which were not up to specification, 
consequently the following memorandum was prepared 
and forwarded : 

WAR DEPARTMENT 

Office of the Quartermaster General, 

I^ovember 19, 1917. 

MEMORANDUM FOR THE CHIEF OF STAFF: 

1. In view of the fact that this office will be re- 
quired to inspect 289,285 sets of harness during the re^ 
mainder of the fiscal year 1918, and an estimated quan- 
tity of 738,350 sets of harness, also a large number of 
halters, bridles and saddles during the fiscal year 1919, 
the necessity of commissioning a number of experts for 
tbe inspection of leather equipment in the present 
emergency has proved imperative. Repeated experi- 
ments with civilian inspectors and officers already com- 
missioned in the Quartermaster Corps in the last five 
months have been a failure, and have demonstrated the 
impossibility of properly safeguarding the interests of 
the Government by the use of such inspecting personnel. 
The men procurable at the authorized salary of 
$1,500.00 a year for civilian inspectors are generally 
inefficient and lacking in character and experience and 
of the officers already commissioned in the Quarter- 
master Corps who were considered qualified for tbis 



48 THE QUAETERMASTER CORPS 

work according to the records only 5, of over 50 who 
have been tried, are capable of performing this work. 

2. The depot quartermaster at Jeffersonville, Ind., 
has asked, therefore, that certain leather equipment in- 
spectors, who are willing to serve the Government from 
patriotic motives, be commissioned for this purpose, and 
it is recommended that authority be granted to com- 
mission in the Quartermaster Corps, N^ational Army, 17 
captains, 17 first lieutenants and 17 second lieutenants 
without examination, except as to physical fitness, for 
the performance of this work. 

3. Before recommending them for commission, the 
qualifications for those who volunteer for this duty 
will be fully established by competent officers of this 
Corps. 

4. More than 50 leather equipment experts of high 
business standing and experience, with established rep- 
utations for integTity, have offered their services to the 
Government. 

5. It is considered necessary that those commis- 
sioned be called to active duty without delay and as- 
signed to the depot Quartermaster, Jeffersonville, In- 
diana, as his assistants. 

Very respectfully, 

HEl^RY G. SHARPE, 
Quartermaster General. 

A few days later this was returned by the Acting 
Chief of Staff, General Biddle, disapproved. The 
Quartermaster General then saw him personally and ex- 
plained the necessity and the impossibility of having the 
inspection done by civilians and asked for a reconsidera- 
tion; but was asked why use had not been made of the 
3,045 men commissioned from the camps. It was ex- 



PEESONNEL 49 

plained that some fifty of them had been tried as shown 
by the memorandum and that practically none of the 
3,045 were qualified for any duty because the school for 
their training had only just opened (as has been previ- 
ously explained), A Congressman later visited the 
depot at Jeffersonville and, hearing of the condition of 
affairs from the officer in charge of the inspections, 
upon return to Washington reported the facts in per- 
son to the Secretaiy of War. The matter was then, 
about January 1, 1918, referred by the Secretary of 
War to the War Council, which body promptly recom- 
mended that the officers requested be appointed. The 
difference in action taken and time required to obtain a 
decision on a similar request is illustrated by the fol- 
lowing letter of an officer, who it is understood insisted 
before assuming the duty, that his recommendations 
must be approved. The letter is as follows : 

WAR DEPARTMENT 
Office of the Quartermaster General 

Washington, January 23, 1918. 
MEMORANDUM: 
O. Q. M. G. to the Chief of Staff: 

1. The office of the depot Quartermaster, Jefferson- 
ville, Ind., will be required to inspect approximately 
120,000 escort wagons, 20,000 ration carts, 20,000 
water carts, 5,000 medical carts, 25,000 limbered 
combat wagons and the necessary parts for these ve- 
hicles. Repeated experiences with civilian inspectors 
and officers already commissioned in the Quartermaster 



50 THE QUARTERMASTEK CORPS 

Corps have been unsuccessful and have demonstrated 
the impossibility of properly safeguarding the interests 
of the Government by the inspecting personnel now 
available. 

2. The depot Quartermaster at Jeffersonville, Ind., 
has asked, therefore, that certain vehicle experts, who 
are willing to serve the Government from patriotic mo- 
tives, be commissioned for this purpose, and it is recom- 
mended that the necessary authority be granted to com- 
mission in the Quartermaster Corps, National Army, 1 
major, 10 captains, 10 first lieutenants and 10 second 
lieutenants without examination except as to physical 
fitness for the performance of this work. 

3. Before recommending them for commission, the 
qualifications of those who volunteer for this duty will 
be fully established by competent officers of this Corps. 

4. It is considered necessary that those commis- 
sioned be called to active duty without delay and as- 
signed to the depot quartermaster, Jeffersonville, Ind., 
as his assistants. 

GEO. W. GOETHALS, 

Acting Quartermaster General. 
January 26, 1918 
APPROVED 
By Order of the Secretary of War : — 

Wm. S. Graves, 
Colonel, General Staff, 
Assistant to Acting Chief of Staff. 

It must be noted that there was no greater urgency 
or an increase of business at the time the latter letter 
was forwarded, which explains or justifies the different 
action taken; in fact there was gi*eater urgency and 
sound business reasons why the former communication 
should have received as prompt approval as the latter. 



PERSONNEL 51 

ENLISTED MEN, QUARTERMASTER CORPS 

Prior to the World War the enlisted strength of the 
Quartermaster Corps, and the numher in each grade, 
was limited and fixed from time to time by the Presi- 
dent, in accordance with the needs of the Army, as 
provided for in Section Nine, Act of June 3, 1916, 
reading as follows : 

"The total enlisted strength of the Quartermaster Corps and 
the number in each grade shall be limited and fixed from time 
to time by the President in accordance with the needs of the 
Army, and shall consist of quartermaster sergeants senior 
grade, quartennaster sergeants, sergeants first class, sergeants, 
corporals, cooks, privates first class, and privates. The num- 
ber in the various grades shall not exceed the following per- 
centages of the total enlisted strength of the Quartermaster 
Corps, namely : Quartermaster sergeants senior grade, five- 
tenths of one per centmu; quartermaster sergeants six per 
centum ; sergeants fii'st class two and five-tenths per centum ; 
sergeants twenty-five per centum ; corporals ten per centum ; 
privates first class, forty-five per centum ; privates, nine per 
centum ; cooks, two per centum ; Provided, That the master 
electricians now authorized by law for the Quartermaster 
Corps shall hereafter be known as quartermaster sergeants, 
senior grade, and shall be included in the number of quarter- 
master sergeants, senior grade, herein authorized." 

Under the above authority the number fixed by the 
President, on recommendation of the Secretary of War, 
was 7,000 enlisted men for duty with the Regular 
Army, and an additional number of 15,993 was author- 
ized under the provisions of Section 55, Act of June 3, 
1916 (National Defense Act), for enlistment in the 
Quartermaster Enlisted Reserve Corps in all depart- 
ments. Request for this number was made by the Quar- 
termaster General under date of February 25, 1917, 



52 THE QUAETERMASTER CORPS 

and authorized March 3, 1917. Recruiting under this 
organization was proceeding most satisfactorily. 

Realizing that this country was about to declare war, 
and that many calls would be made upon the Quarter- 
master Corps for enlisted men, request was made in a 
memorandum for the Chief of Sta,ff, that authority be 
granted to recruit the Quartermaster Section, Enlisted 
Reserve Corps, to 45,000 men. ]^o action having been 
taken, request was renewed under date of May 26, 
19 lY, because of the urgency of continuing the recruit- 
ing that had been successfully launched and because in 
the meantime war was declared on April 6th, and imme- 
diately the calls made upon the Quartermaster Corps 
were more than could be supplied under the limited 
number of men then authorized. Ample authority was 
contained in the National Defense Act for this purpose, 
and was especially provided for under the provisions of 
Par. 1 (b) Regulations for the Enlisted Reserve Corps. 

An extended conference was held at the War College 
on this matter, at which conference the Corps and Staff 
Departments were represented, they claiming at the 
time this was necessary in order to have as a Reserve a 
body of men who could be placed in responsible po- 
sitions when the need arose by merely calling them to 
duty, and not having to wait until the Supply Depot 
or Staff organization was created and then calling on 
local commanding officers for the detail of suitable men. 
The Adjutant General's Office at that time was making 
an earnest attempt to recruit approximately 65,000 men 
to complete the Regular Army, and maintained that to 



PERSONNEL 53 

authorize enlistments in the Reserve Corps for the vari- 
ous Supply Departments would interfere with the en- 
listments for the Regular Army, as those Departments 
were offering to clerks and others possessing abilities 
along given lines required by those Departments, war- 
rants as non-commissioned officers practically the date 
they enlisted; whereas, the General Recruiting Service 
had to enlist the applicant as a private. In addition to 
the several recruiting committees which were operating 
throughout the country, a considerable number of prom- 
inent colleges undertook the work of training the clerks, 
storekeepers, checkers, et cetera, needed by the Quar- 
termaster Corps, as the authorities of those institutions 
appreciated the importance and necessity of making a 
large number of such trained men available. To stop 
recruiting for the Quartermaster Enlisted Reserve 
Corps, paralyzed all machinery then in motion to ob- 
tain men for the Corps and indicated bad faith with 
the numerous civil recruiting committees and colleges, 
which at considerable expense to themselves had, for 
patriotic motives, undertaken the work. This was so 
stated in letter of June 21, 1917, to the Adjutant Gen- 
eral. The views maintained by the Supply Depart- 
ments did not prevail with the General Staff. The 
result was that when the National Army cantonments 
commenced to receive recruits all of the Supply Agen- 
cies were handicapped by lack of suitable men to attend 
to the urgent needs as the recruits reported. The re- 
quest was disapproved under date of June 16, 1917 
(2606Y98-A.G.O.), which also directed that no further 



54 THE QUARTEEMASTEK CORPS 

enlistments be made in the Quartermaster or Enlisted 
Reserve Corps except to the extent of the authority 
already granted to be called into active service 
(15,993). 

This action caused a well launched and successful re- 
cruiting campaign that was in force throughout the 
United States by volunteer organizations, the entire ex- 
pense of which was maintained by those organizations, 
to be stopped. These organizations realized the neces- 
sity for the Quartermaster Corps to obtain their best 
possible material in which to form the nucleus for 
Motor Truck Companies, Wagon Companies, Pack 
Companies and Miscellaneous Personnel, and urgently 
requested that they be permitted to continue with the 
machinery then in motion for this purpose. The Quar- 
termaster General was thus placed in a most embar- 
rassing position because of the fact that he realized the 
necessity for the additional men, and further appreci- 
ated the work of a civilian organization in helping him 
to obtain that result. He was forced, therefore, to ad- 
vise these organizations through the Department Quar- 
termasters of the various departments that enlistments 
must cease when the allottment then authorized was 
completed. 

Under dates of June 21 and June 23, 1917, which 
as following the disapproval on June 16, 1917, of any 
further enlistments in the Quartermaster Corps, the 
matter was again laid before the Chief of Staff in a 
memorandum. It was urged that the organizations of 
45,000 men originally requested be granted, in order 



PERSONNEL 55 

that the recruiting campaigns then under way through- 
out the United States might continue, and, therefore, 
the much needed personnel be obtained. No action was 
taken upon these requests, but finally under date of 
July 2, 1917, the Adjutant General of the Army in- 
formed the Quartermaster General that in lieu of the 
authority for a total of 45,000 men there should be sub- 
mitted, whenever conditions indicated the necessity for 
other organizations of the Quartermaster Corps, a re- 
quest showing such necessities and the strength of or- 
ganizations required, in order that they might be author- 
ized under Section 2 of the Act approved May 18, 1917. 
This action of necessity, on account of no further au- 
thority for recruitment under the Quartermaster En- 
listed Reserve Corps, resulted in all recruiting through- 
out the United States being brought to a standstill. On 
several occasions, the Quartermaster General inter- 
viewed General Bliss, the Acting Chief of Staff, urging 
the prompt approval of the requests. The Acting Chief 
of Staff expressed the opinion that too many men were 
being requested for the Quart.ermaster Corps. The 
Quartermaster General called the attention of the Act- 
ing Chief of Staff to the fact that the Department of 
the Quartermaster General for the Forces in the British 
Army had many fewer activities than those placed upon 
our Quartermaster Corps; and stated that before the 
war began, one branch of the British organization, the 
Army Service Corps, had 435 officers, and from 10,000 
to 12,000 men, but that there were at the time he was 
speaking 10,000 oflficers and from 200,000 to 300,000 



56 THE QUARTERMASTER CORPS 

men in the Army Service Corps of the British Army. 
The Acting Chief of Staff inquired how many more 
men there were in the British Army than in ours ; and 
was informed that that had little bearing on the subject, 
as our Quartermaster Corps had many more activities 
than the British, and when the time arrived that the 
number of officers and men in our entire Corps equaled 
those of one Branch (the Army Service Corps) of the 
Department of the Quartermaster General for the 
Forces in the British Army, that it might be assumed 
we were getting enough officers and men. 

The Quartermaster General' having met with oppo- 
sition in carrying out plans for bringing the enlisted 
force of the Quartermaster Corps to a strength that 
would meet the calls then being made upon it was left 
no alternative other than to submit a statement for 
organizations under the direction given by the Adjutant 
General of the Army on July 2, 1917, referred to above. 
Had the enlistment for the Quartermaster Section En- 
listed Reserve Corps been permitted to continue the 
men could have been obtained and later formed into 
organizations as the necessities of the service demanded. 
Finally, under date of August 17, 1917, after much 
delay in ascertaining the requirements for Quarter- 
master organizations from the General Staff, authority 
was requested to organize the following Quartermaster 
Corps organizations: 434 Motor Truck Companies, 78 
Headquarters Motor Supply Trains, 34 Wagon Com- 
panies, 17 Headquarters Wagon Supply Trains, 24 



PERSONNEL 57 

Pack Train Companies, and 2,682 Miscellaneous Per- 
sonnel. 

The number then authorized in the Quartermaster 
Section, Enlisted Reserve Corps (15,993), was to be 
absorbed therein. It was stated at that time that the 
authority of 34 Division Supply Trains covered by 
Tables of Organizations were in addition to the organ- 
izations above authorized. The Quartermaster General 
realized the insufficiency of the authorization for Motor 
Supply Trains, Motor Truck Companies (exclusive of 
divisions), and under date of September 18, 1917, 
again requested authority to organize 81 Motor Supply 
Trains and 52 Motor Truck Companies. No action 
was had upon this request, and a very short time there- 
after a cablegram (Par. 11, cablegram 166) was re- 
ceived from the Commanding General, American Ex- 
peditionary Forces, stating that 1,000 men for Motor 
Transports must be sent with the least practicable de- 
lay, and that 500 each sent monthly thereafter until 
further notice. A memorandum was again made to the 
Chief of Staff urging the authorization repeatedly re- 
quested. In spite of the cablegram received from the 
Commanding General, American Expeditionary Forces, 
and numerous memoranda above referred to requesting 
additional personnel, authorization was not granted 
until November 19, 1917, when the following was 
authorized: 23 Motor Supply Trains, 58 Motor Truck 
Companies (separate), 8 Motor Car Companies, 23 
Motorcycle Companies, 4 Wagon Companies, 23 Pads 
Train Companies. 



58 THE QUAKTERMASTER CORPS 

On November 19, 1917, a cablegram was received at 
the War Department from General Bliss, the Chief of 
Staff, who was then in France. Paragraph 3 of that 
cablegram was in part as follows: 

"Ascertain from Quartermaster General what Quartermaster 
Corps personnel of all kinds has recently left port of embarka- 
tion and what can be expected to be sent within the next 60 
days. Transportation problem in France at the present time 
is serious." 

Upon receipt of this cablegram in the Office, a mem- 
orandum was prepared for the signature of the Quarter- 
master General which criticized quite severely the fact 
that after having been repeatedly refused authority to 
organize units which were required in France, the Quai^ 
termaster Corps was then blamed for failure to foi-ward 
those units. The Quartermaster General declined to 
sign the memorandum, and directed that a memoran- 
dum be prepared simply reciting dates of request for 
authority to organize the units and the dates of the 
disapprovals, omitting all criticism, as he was unwilling 
during a war to originate a controversy in the War 
Department. 

It would seem that, when the matters referred to in 
the cablegram cited were brought to the attention of the 
Chief of Staff then in France, a full explanation and a 
frank statement would have clarified the situation. For 
instance, the Chief of Staff might have explained that 
about August 1, 1917, the Embarkation Ser\'ice was 
established in his own office and under his own direc- 
tion, and that that service was charged with the duty 



PERSONNEL 59 

of forwarding personnel, animals and property to 
France; that none of the Supply Departments could 
forward either personnel or property to the Ports of 
Embarkation until they had received a "release" from 
the Chief of the Embarkation Service, and that no in- 
formation was sent the Departments whether the per- 
sonnel or property had been shipped or when it would 
be shipped. The whole matter was regarded as con- 
fidential. Then again, a frank statement that he, the 
Chief of Staff, had, when Acting Chief of Staff, dis- 
approved the requests of the Quartermaster General for 
authority to enlist men for the Quartermaster Corps 
would have explained why the organizations needed 
were not in France. 

While on the subject of this same cablegram : in Par. 
3, the Chief of Staff inquired : "Have the 40 limousine 
cars asked for by General Pershing on July 31st for his 
headquarters been shipped ?" To which reply was made 
that no copy of the request of General Pershing of July 
31st for the 40 limousine cars had been received in the 
Ofiice of the Quartermaster General until November 20, 
1917, when a copy was personally obtained from the 
Office of the Chief of Staff. 

Too much stress cannot be laid upon the failure to 
grant an authorization for enlistment of men for the 
Quartermaster Section, Enlisted Reserve Corps (May, 
1917). It is considered that it was well nigh a calamity 
to have to abandon a well organized recruiting cam- 
paign that was under way with the assistance of local 
committees in the principal cities and towns throughout 



eO THE QUAKTEKMASTER CORPS 

the United States. Due to the lack of authorization 
only 222 Regular Army and 309 National Army re- 
cruits were on hand at all recruit depots on E'ovember 
23, 1917. This, of course, made it necessary, at that 
late date, to select men from the draft to supply the 
greater portion of enlisted men required for the Quar- 
termaster Corps, whereas, had the machinery authorized 
by the I^ational Defense Act been permitted to function, 
the major portion of the first quota of men required for 
the Corps could have been had without difficulty. 

Effort to obtain men from the draft for service over- 
seas was very unsatisfactory. In one instance the Com- 
manding General, American Expeditionary Forces, re- 
quested that T5 stenographers and 300 clerk typists, 
also 50 stenographers and 150 clerk typists be furnished 
per month for a period of two months. The men re- 
quested not being available, a request was submitted to 
select that number from the draft under date of October 
9, 1917. This request was disapproved over a month 
later (JSTovember 23, 1917), and it was stated that it 
was believed the men requested could be secured by 
voluntary enlistment if vigorous efforts were made. 
This statement was made in spite of the fact that the 
original request made it clear the men were not avail- 
able and that they were required for immediate service 
overseas. 

Another instance was in providing the necessary en- 
listed men for Quartermaster Mechanical Repair Shops 
Nos. 301, 302 and 303. A request was made under 
date of October 11, 1917, that 2,858 men be selected 



PERSONNEL 61 

from the draft. No action was taken until October 31, 
1917, when authority was granted to select only 1,000 
of the number requested, and it was stated that "The 
Quartermaster General will report later and renew 
request if unable to make progress in organizing the 
units referred to." After much delay the 1,000 men 
authorized from the draft were furnished from canton- 
ments, only to be found that they were unsuitable for 
the purpose, following which numerous requests were 
made to the Adjutant General of the Army for replace- 
ments of the unsuitable men without satisfactory re- 
sults. Finally on November 23, 1917, the balance re- 
quired for these units (1,858) was authorized. 

Still another instance is cited in which it was found 
impossible in October, 1917, to obtain by voluntary 
enlistment the required enlisted men (1,350) for Ma- 
chine Shop Truck Units. Request was made on October 
10, 1917, for this number for the formation of 54 
units, ten of which were required for immediate service 
overseas, only to be returned under date of October 23, 
1917, disapproved. Request was again renewed on Oc- 
tober 23, 1917, and after a delay of nearly thirty days 
(November 15, 1917) was approved for only 1,100 
men. 

The above cited instances are only a few in which 
delays for obtaining the necessary authority to select 
men in the draft resulted in delay of formation of units 
for overseas that were urgently needed, and had been re- 
quested in cablegrams from the Commanding General, 
American Expeditionary Forces. 



62 THE QUARTEKMASTER CORPS 

It will be seen from the foregoing statement that the 
Quartermaster Corps made every effort to obtain au- 
thority for organizations and men in advance of the 
need for them. Lack of authorization prevented the 
building up of a suitable reserve, which would have been 
available to supply demands that were anticipated, and 
resulted in lack of preparedness and great difficulty in 
supplying men at a later date. The resort to the draft 
at that stage of bringing men into it was not satis- 
factory, due to the fact that the machinery was not in 
suitable working order to supply men on short notice, 
all of which would have been easily obviated by proper 
authorizations in the beginning, and the utilization of 
the recruiting campaign then under way in the prin- 
cipal cities and towns throughout the United States. 

The most serious delay, however, was that caused by 
lack of the necessary information giving organizations 
of units for oversea forces, which prevented progress 
in the organization of those units. This is notable in 
the following cases. 

1. General Pershing's project of July 11, 1917; a 
copy of which was never received in the Office of the 
Quartermaster General. 

2. General Pershing's project of September 18, 
1917 ; copy of which was only obtained informally about 
October 25, 1917. 

3. General Pershing's Priority Schedule; copy of 
which was obtained November 28, 1917. 

Cables were received, but lack of information con- 
cerning matter called for in items on Service of the Rear, 



PERSONNEL 63 

which project had not been received in the office of the 
Quartermaster General, delayed action. For example: 
October 11 — General Pershing called for items in his 
Service of the Rear. This project, as shown above, 
was not supplied the Office of the Quartermaster Gen- 
eral until October 25, 1917; when the Quartermaster 
General personally applied for it after seeing the refer- 
ence in cables. After receipt in the office it was neces- 
sary to study same and then proceed with the organiza- 
tion of units required. It will be shown later on that 
considerable delay and embarrassment were occasioned 
by the failure to apprise the Quartermaster Corps in 
1917 of the number of men to be in service in 1919, and 
that there was uncertainty and indecision in this matter. 
The table furnished by the General Staff giving the 
personnel, commissioned and enlisted of the First Di- 
vision to accompany General Pershing to France, in- 
cluded only two officers of the Quartermaster Corps and 
an inadequate number of the enlisted personnel. There 
were no officers included for the Depots to be estab- 
lished on the Line of Communication Service to be 
organized in France or for the Disembarkation Service. 
Effort was made to send the enlisted personnel of a 
Motor Car Company, the members of which were to 
drive and keep in repair the automobiles required for 
General Pershing and his staff. This was disapproved, 
as a Motor Car Company was not authorized, the recom- 
mendation of the Quartermaster General which was 
submitted in December, 1916, not having been acted 
on. The chauffeurs and repair men necessary were 



64 THE QUARTEEMASTER CORPS 

sent over in the guise of Quartermaster Corps Miscel- 
laneous Personnel and the officer assigned as Chief 
Quartermaster on General Pershing's staff so informed. 

During the year 1917 the Quartermaster Corps 
formed about twenty-eight different kinds of organiza- 
tions to enable the work it was charged with to be 
properly and efficiently performed. Many of them first 
came into existence in this war being necessitated by its 
character and the immense numbers engaged. As previ- 
ously stated, the Table submitted by the Quartermaster 
General in 1916, contained most of these organizations, 
as that Table was based upon our experiences on the 
Mexican Border that year and also upon a study of the 
war in France. 

The following is a list of the special and technical 
organizations of the Quartermaster Corps: 

Advance animal transport Mechanical repair shops, 

depots, Motor car companies. 

Auxiliary remount depots, Motorcycle companies, 

Bakeiy companies. Motor truck companies, 

Base animal transport depots, Organization park. 

Butchery companies, Pack train companies. 

Clothing units. Remount squadrons. 

Conservation and reclamation Sales commissary units, Sal- 
companies, vage units. 

Fire, truck and hose com- Ship repair shops, 

panics. Stevedore regiments. 

Graves registration sections. Standard Military truck pro- 
Guard and fire companies, duction section, 

lee plant companies. Supply companies. 

Labor battalions. Supply trains, 

Labor companies. Water-tank trains, 

Machine shop truck units, Wagon companies. 

A Stevedore and Labor Branch was constituted in the 



PERSONNIEL 65 

Administrative Division for the purpose of recruiting 
stevedore and labor troops for use in this country and 
in France. Colonel William G. Austin, N. A., was 
placed in charge of this Branch to organize the several 
regiments ; after organizing the first three regiments he 
was ordered abroad and was succeeded by Colonel Carey 
E. Goodwyn, N. A. 

The following are the organizations which were cre- 
ated by this Branch: 

White Colored 

Enlisted Enlisted 

Officers Men Men Total 

30l8t Stevedore Kegiment, overseas 127 858 6,121 7,106 

302nd Stevedore Regiment, overseas 127 858 6,121 7,106 

303rd Stevedore Regiment, overseas 127 858 6,121 7,106 
304th Training Regiment, Newport 

News 59 286 2,124 2,469 

305th Reserve Stevedore Regiment 76 3,556 3,632 

50 overseas labor battalions 750 2,400 60,853 64,003 

50 domestic labor battalions 750 2,400 48,050 51,200 

Domestic labor companies 24 2,000 2,024 

Total 2,040 13,216 129,390 144,646 

CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES QUAETERMASTEK CORPS AT LARGE 

The number of civilian employees at large, that is at 
depots in this country and the insular possessions of the 
Quartermaster Corps, increased during the year 
1917-1918 from 20,500 to 89,788. Great difficulty in 
obtaining the employees resulted through the operation 
of the selective-service law, and also from the fact that 
the more experienced clerks and field clerks had in 
many cases been commissioned and assigned to duty as 
officers. 



66 THE QUAETERMASTEE CORPS 

CEMETEEIAL BRANCH (ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION) 

This branch, had supervision over the 83 National 
Cemeteries which by law are under the control of the 
Quartermaster Corps, and also had supervision over 
the cemeteries at military posts. 

Graves Registration Service. — In obedience to Gen- 
eral Orders 'Eo. 104, War Department, August Y, 1917, 
there was organized, equipped and supplied four units 
of the Graves Registration Service, which after prepara- 
tory training at the Casualty Camp on Governor's 
Island, New York Harbor, and Camp Merritt (Ten- 
afly), New Jersey, were dispatched overseas under the 
command of Major Charles C. Pierce, U. S. A., Retired. 
Each of these units was commanded by a Captain, 
aided by a second lieutenant and comprised an enlisted 
strength of fifty men, with the organization, more or 
less, of an infantry company of schedule 1906. In each 
unit there were three expert embalmers with rank of 
Quartermaster Sergeants, Senior Grade, and seven em- 
balmers' apprentices; also four sergeants, two of them 
designed to be clerks and five corporals, who, in ad- 
dition to their military duties, were intended to act as 
foremen of working parties. 

Subsequently the Commanding General of the Amer- 
ican Expeditionary Forces in France cabled for eleven 
additional units of the Graves Registration Service, 
which units were organized at the Training Camp of the 
Quartermaster Corps at Camp Joseph E, Johnston, 
Florida, and dispatched overseas. When the first four 



PERSONNEL 67 

units were ready for shipment abroad, the Quarter- 
master Corps was informed that they would not be re- 
quired there. A letter stating the necessity for such 
organizations in order to keep accurate record of 
the deaths and the location of the interments was 
prepared by Majors H. R. Lemly and Charles 
C. Pierce, and permission to send the units was 
urged. It is believed that without those units 
it would have been difficult to prepare and main- 
tain the accurate records kept in France. That 
the value of the units was appreciated is demonstrated 
by the later request for eleven additional units. To the 
two officers named is due the credit for the organiza- 
tion of the units and also for the presentation of the 
urgent request to forward the first four units to France. 



Ill 



FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING DIVISION 

Financial problems and accounting — Difficulties and embarrass- 
ments. 

The following financial problems faced the Quarter- 
master Corps at the date of declaration of war, April 6, 
1917: 

(a) Lack of Funds. — ^When war was declared the 
Quartermaster Corps was without funds. Congress had 
adjourned March 4th without enacting the Deficiency 
Bill made necessary by the mobilization of the National 
Guard along the Mexican boarder and the Pershing 
Expedition into Mexico. Congress also failed to enact 
into law the Army Appropriation Bill, fiscal year 1918. 
The Deficiency Bill finally became a law in April, 1917, 
while the appropriations in the Army Bill, which be- 
came law May 12, 1917, were not available until July 
1st of that year. Because of the retention of a large por- 
tion of the National Guard in the Federal Service 
after December 31, 1916, the current appropriations, 
which included no funds to meet National Guard ob- 
ligations, were almost exhausted. Funds had been pro- 
vided to cover the services of the National Guard to 
December 31, 1916, and the cost of maintenance of 

68 



FINAN^CE AND ACCOUNTING 69 

Militia organizations retained in service after that date 
was necessarily met from the current appropriations. 
Supplies can be obligated and procured without funds 
in possession, but the current activities of the Army call 
for cash payments. The situation demanded decisive 
measures, which were taken. Disbursing quartermas- 
ters were notified by wire to pay only for certain specific 
supplies and services so that the Army's necessary ac- 
tivities should not be crippled. Quartermasters were 
required by wire to turn their balances into the Treas- 
ury, and the funds thus accumulated were issued under 
such careful supervision that ofiicers, enlisted men and 
civilian employees received their pay when due. Not a 
teamster, carpenter, or other employee was discharged, 
all payments that were essential to the actual operation 
of the Army were made at the expense of obligations 
of a character that could best bear delay in settlement. 
To accomplish this result borrows were made from what- 
ever appropriations held balances, this being done under 
a somewhat liberal construction of the 35 Stat, at Large 
37, which provides for the temporary use of money from 
one appropriation for the purposes of another appro- 
priation. 

The Army's most urgent demands were thus provided 
for until the passage of the Deficiency Bill which be- 
came law April 17, 1917. This Deficiency Bill, under 
the demand created by war preparations, scarcely 
stemmed the tide for a day, and then a borrow of $30,- 
000,000 was negotiated from the appropriation of $100,- 
000,000 "National Security and Defense," carried in 



70 THE QUARTEEMASTER CORPS 

the Act of April 17, 191Y. The Quartermaster Corps 
had expended $27,000,000 of this borrow when Con- 
gress came to the rescue with the Urgent Deficiency Act, 
approved June 15, 1917, which enabled the Quarter- 
master Corps to pay its borrow of $30,000,000, settle 
its outstanding obligations, and proceed to do business 
in a business-like way. 

Financing the United States Army in time of war 
without funds is something of a proposition and is no 
child's play. From March 4th until June 15th the 
Quartermaster Corps was practically without funds, yet 
none of the necessary activities of the Army were cur- 
tailed and the Army as a whole pursued its usual rou- 
tine unconscious of the fact that it was on the verge of 
bankruptcy. The Army only knows that it received its 
pay and that there was no interi'uption of its usual ac- 
tivities, but it does not know that the Quartermaster 
Corps stood between it and disaster. 

(b) FiTiancing Contractors. — To assist harassed 
contractors, who were placed in an embarrassing po- 
sition through failure of Congress to appropriate the 
necessary funds to pay for supplies delivered, quarter- 
masters were instructed to issue to creditors of the Gov- 
ernment a statement or form of voucher to show the 
Government's indebtedness to the contractor, with a 
view to assisting him in raising funds to tide over the 
delay in settlement. The law precludes, and rightly so, 
the assignment of vouchers or due bills against the Gov- 
ermnent, but a form of voucher was prepared in the 
Office of the Quartermaster General, with the approval 



FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING 71 

of the Comptroller of the Treasury, which afforded 
timely relief to worthy contractors of small means who 
were pushed to the verge of bankruptcy by the failure 
of the Government to meet its obligations. 

Through this procedure and in no other way could 
the contractors for clothing and other necessary mu- 
nitions required by the Quartermaster Corps procure 
the raw material necessary to enable them to produce 
the completed articles so absolutely essential for the 
equipment of troops. The amounts involved were so 
extraordinarily large that even contractors and corpora- 
tions of the highest standing and the strongest financial 
backing were helpless in the face of the emergency, and 
without some measure of this sort the production of 
war supplies would have been practically stopped. In 
this procedure the Quartermaster Corps had the cordial 
and powerful backing of the Federal Reserve Bank 
through its member banks, which contributed materially 
to the success of this somewhat revolutionary departure 
from usual Government methods. 

(c) Simplification of Accounting. — For some years 
the Quartermaster Corps had been operating under a 
system of apportionment of funds which, while it ac- 
complished certain desirable results, was responsible 
for a great deal of paper work on the part of quarter- 
masters at posts and in the field. This system, which 
was something of a burden in time of peace, was im- 
possible in time of war, when quartermasters 
were occupied with duties of too important a character 
to be hampered in any degree by detail paper work that 



72 THE QUAKTERMASTEK CORPS 

could in any way be eliminated. This apportionment 
system, consequently, was eliminated and a simple up- 
to-date workable system of direct supply of funds, on 
call, substituted therefor. One result of this simplifica- 
tion of accounting was that the number of office ac- 
countants for detailed record of expenditures was re- 
duced from 192 to 80. 

(d) Simplification of Property Accounting. — A top- 
heavy and intricate method of accounting for thousands 
of articles and millions of dollars' worth of Quarter- 
master property was supplanted by a system that greatly 
simplified accounting and reduced the number of ac- 
countable officers, being more adapted in every way to 
war conditions than the old system. 

(e) The Wool Supply. — To guarantee a supply of 
suitable clothing for the Army the necessary steps were 
taken to establish and maintain a reserve supply of 
wool, a wool purchasing agency being established in 
Boston which, by a constant study of the market and 
judicious purchases at various times, steadied the mar- 
ket and enabled the Quartermaster General to furnish 
contractors at cost with the necessary material for the 
manufacture of uniforms, blankets and other munitions 
in which wool entered as a constituent part. This wool 
purchasing activity, which at the date of the signing of 
the Armistice had reached an expenditure of approxi- 
mately one-half billion of dollars, was a somewhat rev- 
olutionary venture on the part of the Quartermaster 
Corps and was carried on with the assistance and co- 
operation of the Council of N^ational Defense, the 



FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING 73 

American Wool Growers' Association and the Boston 
Wool Trade. This wool purchasing activity, which be- 
gan in 1917 in such a modest way, developed into one 
of the most important as well as one of the most gigantic 
war enterprises of the Government. 

(f) Reduction of Finance Work in Supply Depots. 
— The provision of supplies for an Army running into 
millions threw upon the Supply Depots an enormous 
amount of work. To reduce the paper work in these 
over-burdened centers of Quartermaster activity the 
settlement of all transportation accounts was trans- 
ferred to Washington, where a new system of settlement 
gave greater accuracy, prompter payment and a gi-eat 
reduction in paper work. Incidentally it relieved the 
great Supply Depots of a burden of detail work that 
seriously interfered with their legitimate function, the 
furnishing of war supplies, so vitally important in war 
times. 

(g) Allotmenis of Pay. — The Army had for many 
years a system of allotments of pay which enabled the 
enlisted men, when ordered to duty outside the limits 
of this country, to have a certain portion of their pay 
delivered directly to their dependents. Under the law 
as it originally was drawn, however, a full month must 
intervene between date soldier's pay became due and 
date that it could be paid the allottee, while no pro- 
vision whatever was made for the allotment of pay of 
officers. Legislation was, however, secured from Con- 
gress by representatives of the Quartermaster General 
which permitted payments to allottees on the day the 



74 THE QUARTERMASTER CORPS 

pay of the soldier is due, thus eliminating the interven- 
ing month required under the old law. Authority was 
also secured so that officers could allot pay to their de- 
pendents. This legislation also liberalized the allot- 
ment provisions in other important particulars, making 
them applicable to war conditions. 

(h) Bonding of Reserve, National Guard and Na- 
tional Army Officers. — A decision of the Comptroller 
of the Treasury required that before Government funds 
could be placed to the credit of Reserve Officers, JSTa- 
tional Guard Officers and E'ational Army Officers they 
must be bonded. To meet the urgent cases that neces- 
sarily arose where it was necessary to bond officers on 
short notice a so-called "Interim Bond" was prepared 
in the Office of the Quartermaster General which was 
approved by the Comptroller of the Treasury. This 
form of bond enabled the Office of the Quartermaster 
General to bond an officer on telegTaphic request and 
place funds to his credit immediately, without waiting 
for the receipt of the officer's signed application. This 
temporary bond remained in force until the officer sub- 
mitted a proper and permanent bond. Resort to this 
temporary bond cleared up a number of perplexing 
situations and enabled the Quartermaster General to 
place funds where delay would have proved disastrous. 

(i) Disbursing from One Appropriation. — To sim- 
plify the task of disbursing quartermasters in France 
and other places outside the limits of this country, a 
plan of procedure was worked out in the Office of the 
Quartermaster General that enabled disbursing officers 



FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING 75 

to make all disbursements from one appropriation. This 
method eliminated the trouble and confusion occasioned 
by the necessity of calling for funds under various ap- 
propriations and the duplication of much trouble and 
confusion in cabling back credits under these various 
and multitudinous appropriations. Disbursing quar- 
termasters, under the method in use, simply called for 
money, the amount called for being cabled back with- 
out reference to appropriations. The necessary adjust- 
ments were made in the Ojffice of the Quartermaster 
General and in the Office of the Auditor for the War 
Department. 

(j) Funds for Independent Units Going Abroad. — 
In order that in case of unforeseen eventualities no de- 
tachments of United States Army personnel should be 
left without funds the Quartennaster General insisted 
that the disbursing quartermasters of every independent 
unit going abroad be provided with funds. United States 
Treasury credit and Treasury checks. This precaution 
was justified in many striking instances, and prevented 
many embarrassing situations where American con- 
tingents were located for indefinite periods at points 
where the funds supplied were needed for their main- 
tenance pending their location at points within the lines 
of regular supply. 

(k) Financing Disbursing Quartermasters in 
France. — One of the most serious finance problems to 
be solved was the method to be followed in France for 
providing and disbursing cash, the varying rates of ex- 
change adding a confusing factor to the situation. The 



76 THE QUAKTERMASTEK CORPS 

Quartermaster General's Oflfice presented the matter 
with a recommendation to the Treasury, and as a result 
the branches in France of certain reputable American 
fiscal institutions functioned as Government deposi- 
taries; and the Secretary of the Treasury on the in- 
itiative of the Office of the Quartermaster General an- 
nounced monthly a fixed rate of exchange for one full 
month, both for purposes of expenditure and receipt. 
This system v^hich was finally applied to the disbursing 
officers of all bureaus of the War Department enabled 
quartermasters in France to convert their United States 
Treasury checks into francs at the announced rate, 
giving the Government credit for all gains by exchange 
and charging against the Government all losses thereby. 
This procedure, on the initiative of the Office of th^ 
Quartermaster General, received the sanction of law in 
the Act of October 6, 1917, which authorized the Secre- 
tary of the Treasury to fix the rate of foreign exchange 
for the purpose of disbursing and receiving Government 
funds. Following is the law : 

"For payment of exchange by acting quartermasters serving 
in foreign countries and when specially authorized by the Sec- 
retary of War by officers disbursing funds pertaining to the 
Quartermaster Corps when serving in Alaska, and all foreign 
money received shall be charged to and paid out by the dis- 
bursing officers of the Quarteimaster Corps at the legal val- 
uation fixed by the Secretary of the Treasury." 

(1) Agent Officers. — Realizing that with millions 
of troops in the field it would be impossible to furnish 
bonded disbursing officers in sufficient number to make 
the necessary payments, legislation was secured in the 



FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING 77 

Act of May 12, 1917, which created the so-called "Agent 
Officer" who acting as the representative of accountable 
disbursing officer made the actual payments. This 
legislation, which was secured for the disbursing quar- 
termasters, was afterwards secured for all disbursing 
officers of the War Department. Following is the law : 

"Hereafter, under such regulations as may be prescribed by 
the Secretary of War, officers of the Quartermaster Corps 
accountable for public moneys may intrust such moneys to 
other officers for the purpose of having them make disburse- 
ments as their agents, and the officers to whom the moneys 
are intrusted, as well as the officers who intrust it to them, 
shall be held pecuniarily responsible therefor to the United 
States." 

(m) Appropriations. — Following is a statement of 
Quartermaster appropriations made available for the 
fiscal year 1918 : 

QUARTERMASTER APPROPRIATIONS MADE AVAILABLE 
FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 1918 

Appropriation Amount Appropriated 

under Act Total 

Pay, etc., of the Army 

Act May 12, 1917 $87,130,147.40 

* " June 15, 1917 350,105,839.90 

" Oct. 6, 1917 405,403,131.00 $ 842,639,118.30 

Mileage to OflScers and Con- 
tract Surgeons 

Act May 12, 1917 740,000.00 

* " June 15, 1917 510,000.00 

" Oct. 6,1917 750,000.00 2,000,000.00 

Supplies, Services and Trans- 
portation, Q.M.C. 

Act May 12, 1917 80,610,100.00 

* " June 15, 1917 706,848,577.29 

•* Oct. 6,1917 1,132,886,500.00 1,920,345,177.29 

* The amounts made available in the Deficiency Act of June 
15, 1917, were for deficiencies in the fiscal year 1917 and for the 
requirements of the fiscal year 1918. 



78 THE QTJAETEEMASTER CORPS 

Horses for Cav. Arty., Engrs., 
etc. 

Act May 12, 1917 400,000.00 

* " June 15, 1917 25,000,000.00 

" Oct. 6,1917 40,000,000.00 65,400,000.00 

Barracks and Quarters 

Act May 12, 1917 3,000,000.00 

* " June 15, 1917 47,603,314.20 

" Oct. 6,1917 49,155,000.00 99,758,314.20 

Construction and Repair of 
Hospitals 

Act May 12, 1917 750,000.00 

" Oct. 6,1917 35,000,000.00 

* " June 15, 1917 2,115,267.00 37,865,267.00 

Quarters for Hospital Stew- 
ards 

Act May 12, 1917 25,000.00 

Shooting Galleries and Ranges 

Act May 12, 1917 45,000.00 

" Oct. 6,1917 6,014,540.00 6,059,540.00 

Rent of Buildings, Q. M. 
Corps 

Act May 12, 1917 41,225.10 

" Oct. 6, 1917 37,875.00 79,100.10 

Maintenance Army War Col- 
lege 

Act May 12, 1917 10,700.00 

Vocational Training of Sol- 
diers 

Act May 12, 1917 250,000.00 

Filing Equipment of the Army 
Act May 12, 1917 (1917- 

1918) , 45,000.00 

Buildings Jeffersonville Depot, 
Indiana 

Act May 12, 1917 9,500.00 

Purchase of land, Military 
Reservations, Fort Sam 
Houston, Texas 

Act May 12, 1917 330,000.00 

Barracks and Quarters Phil- 
ippine Islands 

Act May 12, 1917 500,000.00 

Military Post Exchanges 

Act May 12, 1917 50,000.00 

* " June 15, 1917 500,000.00 

" Oct. 6, 1917 250,000.00 800,000.00 



FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING 79 

Roads, Walks, Wharves and 
Drainage 

Act May 12, 1917 600,000.00 

♦ " June 15, 1917 5,539,965.00 

" Oct. 6,1917 12,700,000.00 18,839,965.00 

Construction and Maintenance of Military and 

Post Roads Bridges and Trails, Alaska 

Act May 12, 1917 (1918-1919) 500,000.00 

Military Post, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, 

Act June 12, 1917 1,077,000.00 

Purchase of Land, Military Post Schofield Bar- 
racks, Hawaii 

Act Oct. 6, 1917 10,300.00 

Quartermaster's Depot, St. Louis, Mo. 

Act Oct. 6, 1917 300,000.00 

Sewerage System, Fort Monroe, Va. 

Act June 12, 1917 9,359.99 

Seacoast Defenses, P. I. and Hawaii 

Act June 12, 1917 93,000.00 

Barracks and Quarters, Seacoast Defenses 

Act Oct. 6, 1917 3,462,000.00 

Repairs to Buildings, etc., at Gulf Ports 

Act Oct. 6, 1917 89,962.60 

Bridge Across Republican River, Fort Riley, 

Kans. 

Act Oct. 6, 1917 15,000.00 

National Cemeteries 

Act June 12, 1917 120,000.00 

Disposition of Remains of Officers, Soldiers and 

Civil Employees 

Act Oct. 6, 1917 560,000.00 

Pay of Superintendents, National Cemeteries 

Act July 12, 1917 63,120.00 

Headstones for Graves of Soldiers 

Act June 12, 1917 50,000.00 

Burial of Indigent Soldiers 

Act June 12, 1917 2,000.00 

Burial of Indigent Patients, Array and Navy 

Hospital, Hot Springs, Ark. 

Act June 12, 1917 200.00 

Repairing Roads to National Cemeteries 

Act June 12, 1917 12,000.00 

Antietam Battlefield: Preservation, 

Act June 12, 1917 4,500.00 

Confederate Mound, Oakwood Cemetery, Chi- 
cago, 111. 

Act June 12, 1917 500.00 



80 THE QUARTERMASTER CORPS 

Confederate Stockade Cemetery, Johnston's 

Island in Sandusky Bay, Ohio 

Act June 12, 1917 250.00 

Care of Confederate Burial Plots 

Act June 12, 1917 1,250.00 

Monuments or Tablets in Cuba and China 

Act June 12, 1917 1,000.00 

$3,001,328,124.48 

As stated above, Congress adjourned March 4, 1917, 
without enacting the General Deficiency Bill. This 
Bill contained an item of $34,000.00 for the Quarter- 
master Corps for deficiencies made necessary by the 
mobilization of the National Guard along the Mexican 
border and the Pershing expedition into Mexico. The 
supplies represented by this $34,000.00 had been se- 
cured from dealers the previous fall with the expecta- 
tion that funds would be made available early in De- 
cember, 1916, in the Urgent Deficiency bill which would 
enable the obligations to be met. Estimates covering 
this Deficiency were prepared and submitted by the 
Quartermaster Corps, and through no fault of that 
Corps failed to be included in the Urgent Deficiency 
Bill. The only recourse was to secure this amount in 
the General Deficiency Bill usually passed just before 
the adjournment of Congress. The failure to receive 
the funds and liquidate the obligations caused great 
distress and hardship to the public creditors, many of 
whom were unable to meet their financial obligations, 
which they had assumed in order to provide the sup- 
plies needed by the Government in an emergency. Be- 
cause of this distress, and because the appropriations to 



FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING 81 

provide supplies were exhausted, the Quartermaster 
General, in an interview, explained the situation to the 
Secretary of War and stated that the appropriation for 
the Pay of the Army contained ample funds, all of 
which would not be needed for the purposes for which 
appropriated prior to the passage of the General De- 
ficiency Bill ; stating that the law absolutely prohibited 
the use of funds to pay for supplies obtained under 
another appropriation which had been exhausted; in 
fact, imposed a fine and imprisonment for such a pro- 
cedure. The Quartermaster General stated that with 
the approval of the Secretary the transfer of funds 
would be made and the distress of the contractors re- 
lieved by paying them the sums owed them, and that 
later on the passage of the General Deficiency Bill 
making available an appropriation to satisfy the Gov- 
ernment obligations, the Pay of the Army would be re- 
imbursed by the funds thus withdrawn from it in viola- 
tion of law. The Quartermaster General submitted 
later two separate memoranda, reciting the facts and 
the law, and received many millions of dollars with 
which the most urgent cases were met and several of 
the contractors saved from bankruptcy. 

Upon the failure of the General Deficiency Bill, the 
Quartermaster General explained the situation to the 
Secretary and stated the intention to destroy the mem- 
oranda approved by the Secretary, as the Quartermaster 
General did not intend that the Secretary should be 
blamed for the transaction. The Secretary replied that 
he fully understood the situation, appreciated the viola- 



82 THE QUAETERMASTER CORPS 

tion of law, but that lie had approved the suggestion in 
the memoranda and was therefore responsible for the 
transaction, and intended to assume the responsibility 
and directed the Quartermaster General not to destroy 
the memoranda. That day, upon meeting the Secretary 
by appointment in the President's room at the Capitol, 
it was ascertained that several of the members of the 
Cabinet and many Senators had been informed of the 
matter and expressed approval of the action taken. 

Later, other methods, not in violation of law, to ob- 
tain a portion of the money required were adopted as 
referred to above and refundment of the amounts with- 
drawn from the Pay of the Army was effected. In ad- 
dition a prominent banking house in ISTew York ad- 
vanced $1,000,000 to such public creditors who needed 
financial assistance and an individual banker in San 
Francisco advanced $500,000 for similar purposes. In 
neither case were any of the public creditors charged 
interest for the moneys so advanced them. The Gen- 
eral Deficiency Bill was passed the latter part of April, 
1917, and all of the old obligations of the Quarter- 
master Corps were met. 

The difficulties and embarrassments imposed upon 
the Finance Division by this lack of funds must be 
apparent, particularly when it occurred at the very be- 
ginning of the greatest war this country has ever en- 
gaged in. These conditions increased upon our entry 
into the War, as new obligations had to be made, one 
of them of over thirty million dollars for the construc- 
tion of the Training Camps for Officers, undertaken in 



FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING 83 

direct and positive violation of law as no funds were 
available or had even been estimated for; the securing 
of money to provide the many individuals and organiza- 
tions forwarded abroad when there were no funds avail- 
able in the proper appropriations, and the appropria- 
tions made by Congress could not be secured until after 
the first of July. Preparing for war during a period 
of over three months with no funds available was the 
task imposed upon the Quartermaster Corps and par- 
ticularly upon the Finance Division. That the situa- 
tion was fully met was due entirely to the ability, re- 
sourcefulness and courage of the officers attached to that 
Division. Contemplate for one moment the situation 
presented by shipping troops abroad to engage in war 
with no actual money available in the various appropria- 
tions needed and the problem which then was presented 
may in a measure be visualized. 

When presenting on January 15, 1917, in the Hear- 
ings before the House Committee on Military Affairs 
the estimates submitted for the support of the Army 
for the fiscal year 1918 an earnest effort was made to 
consolidate eleven of the Quartermaster appropriations 
into three. The purpose was to simplify the paper 
work of the Army, provide really a budget so that the 
amount required for each item would be shown and the 
appropriation made for the same purpose the preceding 
year stated. The reasons for this were fully set forth 
in the Hearings and in the data submitted at the time 
and are given at length in the Hearings. The mem- 
bers of the Committee were favorably inclined towards 



84 THE QUARTEEMASTER CORPS 

the proposed change, but it was abandoned at the last 
moment because so little time was available for the 
consideration of the bill, and for the additional reason 
that being a change in the form and verbiage from the 
former appropriation bills it would be subject to a 
point of order and the passage of the bill thus en- 
dangered. If the suggested change had been adopted 
it would have effected great simplification in time of 
war, and a corresponding relief during a time of great 
pressure, and furthermore would have tended to greater 
accuracy in the accounting. It moreover would have 
been in line with the new Budget System now proposed 
for CongTess. 

In regard to the Methods of Money and Property Ac- 
countability adopted by the Quartermaster Corps, it is 
desired to call attention to the fact that the War Depart- 
ment is the only Department of the Government in 
which, since its first establishment, the policy and per- 
sonnel have been practically continuous; not subject to 
change as to either policy or personnel every few years 
due to change in administration, as in the other depart- 
ments of the Government. The result being that the 
Methods of Money and Property Accountability are 
based upon the experience and familiarity of the sub- 
ject of all the men who have had any part in the 
affairs of the Department for over one hundred and 
forty years. The characterization of such methods 
as "red tape" is generally made either by the hasty, 
careless, indolent, thoughtless, ignorant or evil disposed 
person ; for surely the Government is entitled to as ac- 



c 

FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING 85 

curate an accountability of its Financial and Property 
responsibility as any business man or corporation. It 
is understood tbat the Financial System of Account- 
ability of the State of Illinois was ifiodeled on that of 
the Quartennaster Corps, the foims for same being 
taken from the Quartermaster's Manual and adapted 
to the purpose intended; and that the proposer wa^ 
given a handsome monetary consideration by the State 
of Illinois. One of the most successful railroad busi- 
ness men, a graduate of the United States Military 
Academy, once stated that the forms he adopted were 
modeled on forms in use in the Army. 

The work of preparing an estimate for Congress is a 
stupendous undertaking and if the basis for this esti- 
mate is continually changed such work is increased 
many fold. The basis for an estimate is the number of 
men to be in the Army during the time for which an 
appropriation for the support of the Anny is sought. 

An approved memorandum of the War College Di- 
vision of the General Staff, dated September 11, 1917, 
stated that there would be thirty divisions in the Army 
in 1918; sixty divisions in 1919; thus making a basis 
for the estimates of about three millions of men. 

Estimates for the Quartermaster Corps were there- 
fore prepared on a basis of 3,000,000 men and were 
completed about the first of October, 1917. Learning 
that an additional call of men was contemplated the 
Quartermaster General on October 9, 1917, addressed 
a memorandum to the Chief of Staff as follows : 



86 THE QUAETERMASTER CORPS 



"It is iinderstood that a second, third and fourtli call 
for selective draft men, for 456,000-500,000 and 
500,000 men is contemplated." 

"In order that this office may have reliable data on 
which to base estimates of the quantities of supplies 
needed by months, information is requested as to the 
approximate date these calls will be made." 

HENRY G. SHAEPE, 
Quartermaster General. 

To which the Chief of Staff replied under date of 
October 23, 1917, as follows: 

"The question as to whether or not subsequent calls 
for selective draft men will be made, and, if so, the 
numbers to be called, has not been determined and the 
infonnation asked for on the attached memorandum 
(the Q.M.C.) can, therefore, not be furnished." 

TASKER H. BLISS, 
General, Chief of Staff. 

As stated above, the estimates, based on the approved 
memorandum of the War College Division of Septem- 
ber 11, 1917, were submitted about October 1st. 

On October 19, 1920, a memorandum was received 
from the Chief of Staff as follows : 

"The Secretary of War desires that you submit a 
modified estimate, based on the assumption of 1,500,000 
men to be maintained in the Military Establishment 
during the fiscal year 1918-1919." 

TASKER H. BLISS, 
General, Chief of Staff. 



FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING 87 

At once estimates were started on this new basis and 
on October 22, 1917, another memorandum was re- 
ceived from the Chief of Staff as follows : 

"Referring to the memorandum dated October 19th, 
the number of men called for by the progi'am of the 
Aviation Section, Signal Corps, in France, is 11,941 
officers and 112,245 men. These should be in addition 
to the 1,500,000 men referred to in memorandum of 
October 19." 

TASKEE H. BLISS, 
General, Chief of Staff. 

Before again commencing work on the estimates the 
Chief of Staff was seen and it was explained that the 
estimates for the fiscal year 1918, which were then be- 
fore Congress provided for 2,033,345 men and that the 
approved memorandum of the War College Division of 
September 11th gave 60 Divisions, or about 3,000,000 
men for 1919 ; and if that number of men would be in 
service in 1919 arrangements to secure the funds to pay 
for the supplies for such number of men should be 
made. It was also stated that under authority of the 
Secretary of War of July 11, 1917, purchases were 
being made for two millions of men, and that with the 
approval of the Secretary of War under date of Sep- 
tember 15, 1917, in order to secure more prompt de- 
liveries and keep the factories in operation upon Gov- 
ernment orders, contracts were being entered into 
which did not terminate until December 31, 1918 ; and 
the difficulty of securing supplies unless funds for pay- 



88 THE QUAETERMASTER CORPS 

ment of same were available was indicated. Authority 
was then given to estimate for funds for such supplies 
as required more than three months to produce on the 
basis of 3,000,000 men and the estimates were prepared 
accordingly. 

The matter contained in the memorandum of Sep- 
tember 11, 1917, of the War College Division of the 
General Staff was of such vital importance in the plan 
for the Conduct of the War that it must have been con- 
sidered by the Secretary of War, The decidedly con- 
trary action of the Chief of Staff in his memoranda 
of October 19th and 22nd, and his reply regarding sub- 
sequent calls of selective draft men of October 23rd 
seem to indicate lack of coordination between his office 
and the Divisions of same. 

As stated previously, General Pershing's project 
of July 11, 1917, was never received in the Office of the 
Quartermaster General, and no information as to its 
contents was furnished that office. Lieutenant Colonel 
Requin in his book "America's Race to Victory" states, 
on page 49, that: "The plan submitted by General 
Pershing to his Government contemplated the employ- 
ment of a million men in France for the offensive cam- 
paign of 1918, to be disembarked before July of that 
year, — without consideration of the forces that it might 
be necessary to send to the front later on, nor the total 
numerical strength of the future American Army, which 
he estimated at 3,000,000 men (a numerical strength to 
be reached within two years)." 

It would appear that the Memorandum of the War 



FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING 89 

College Division of September 11, 1917, was based on 
General Pershing's project of July 11, referred to by 
Lieutenant Colonel Eequin, and that tbe Chief of Staff 
by his instructions of October 19th and 22 nd, disre- 
garded the recommendations of General Pershing. 

The difficulty, and it may be danger, of endeavoring 
to provide supplies and pay for an Army in time of 
war when no funds are available for months has been 
before alluded to. The danger would be the possibility 
of forcing into bankruptcy firms from whom supplies 
had been secured, because funds to satisfy the Govern- 
ment's obligations were not available, and it surely is 
not fair to expect merchants to provide supplies needed 
during war and have no funds available to pay for them, 
simply because the estimates for funds submitted to 
Congress failed to provide for the number of men who 
would be in service according to the plan approved. 



IV 



SUPPLIES 

Supplies division — Subsistence branch — Clothing and equipage 
branch — Fuel and forage — Conservation division. 



SUBSISTENCE 

On account of the perishable nature of the supplies 
furnished, the Subsistence work of the Office of the 
Quartermaster General was entirely decentralized. 
Credit for the initial supply of the Army as it expanded 
must therefore be largely given to the Depot Quarter- 
masters, under whose supervision the camps and posts 
were supplied. These Depot Quartermasters were, as a 
rule, the very best type of officers in the Corps, but it 
was necessary in order to meet the demand for trained 
officers to send many of the most experienced officers to 
France. These officers had for many years made a close 
study of food products and the methods of preparing 
them, had made constant experiments with rations and 
containers, cooking and baking appliances, and made 
practical application of the knowledge thus gained. In 
their specialization of the study of food supply, the 
subject had been considered from every possible angle 
and from different viewpoints; but it is no discredit 
to state that none of them had had the prevision to 

9j 



SUPPLIES 91 

foresee that this country would ever be called upon to 
supply an army of millions of men in a campaign 
across the Atlantic, and at a time when the food sup- 
plies of this country would be drawn upon for the 
civilian populations and the armies of the different 
countries with whom we entered the war as co-bel- 
ligerents. 

Due to the preliminary study of the permanent of- 
ficers, aided by a number of detailed officers who had 
been trained in the work, and assisted by many non-com- 
missioned officers, when the war came there were on 
hand some thoroughly attested appliances for field cook- 
ing and baking, and it was only necessary to very largely 
augment the number of these appliances in order to 
equip the army. The task of securing these appliances 
was made difficult and the time necessary to obtain them 
increased, due to the fact that the steel and other 
material from which they were manufactured was like- 
wise needed by our allies for various purposes. 

Of gi'eat assistance in the critical period of expansion 
were the post quartermaster sergeants and field clerks, 
who had been commissioned in the Corps as Reserve 
Officers. The better class of these men, those who could 
partly visualize the enormous scope of the problem 
presented, were invaluable as assistants to the Depot 
Quartermasters and as instructors to the officers com- 
ing into the sei'vice from civil life in Washington as well 
as in the depots and camps. Many a pitfall was avoided 
and many an error checked by the patient and con- 
scientious work of these men. They were a complement 



92 THE QUAETEKMASTEK COEPS 

to tlie business experience, ability, mental and physical 
force displayed by some of the temporary officers, and 
whose loyal and efficient work in the Quartermaster 
Corps has not received the acknowledgment to which 
it is entitled. 

The number of permanent officers of the Quarter- 
master Corps was so limited that no one was immedi- 
ately available for the exclusive work of Subsistence in 
the Quartermaster General's Office, and that work had 
to be carried on by a most efficient Reserve Officer, a 
former post quartermaster sergeant, assisted by one or 
two other Reserve officers. It was not until October, 
1917, that it was possible to receive the assignment of a 
permanent officer to duty in the Office to undertake this 
work. 

The specifications of the Army were very clear upon 
the points of quality and wholesomeness of the food 
products, and were prepared after many conferences 
with the Chief of the Bureau of Animal Industry, the 
Chief of the Bureau of Chemistry, and the Chief of 
the Bureau of Experiment Stations of the Department 
of Agriculture, and the Chief of Fishery Department o:^ 
Commerce. Experts were stationed at most of the 
plants, especially where meats were packed, and these 
made constant inspection during all the stages of cut- 
ting, curing and packing; certain vegetables were in- 
spected and selected before being put through the can- 
ning processes ; and every effort made to insure the cer- 
tainty of obtaining proper and nutritious food supplies 
for the Army. 



SUPPLIES 93 

Supplies were purchased in the usual manner after 
public advertisement for proposals, but about August 
13th was discontinued, as it became evident that such 
discontinuance was necessary to prevent inflated prices 
and also to keep from the enemy knowledge of factories 
where supplies were being prepared for the Government. 

It became evident during the smnmer that certain 
food commodities would be short, and that it would be 
necessary to adopt some plan of providing the require- 
ments of the Army and ISTavy without unduly influenc- 
ing the price paid by civilians. To accomplish this the 
Council of National Defense undertook to make allot- 
ments of certain products such as beans and sugar, 
canned tomatoes, peas and corn. 

In my book entitled ''The Art of Subsisting Armies 
in War," published in 1893, the necessity was urged of 
creating a Department of the Government to mobilize 
the resources of the country in time of war. No atten- 
tion had been paid to this important matter in the inter- 
vening years, though its necessity was frequently urged. 
The introduction of the Council of National Defense in 
this matter was a feeble step in the direction indicated. 
The fact that the country must provide supplies for the 
allied and neutral nations of Europe indicated the 
necessity of taking legislative action and the ideas sug- 
gested in the book above referred to were adopted in 
drafting the necessary legislation, which resulted in the 
establishment of a Food Administration, to which power 
of control over the export and imports of food and food 
products was likewise given. 



94 THE QUARTEKMASTER CORPS 

The work undertaken by the Council of E"ational De- 
fense was later taken over by the Food Administration 
and the bulk of the requirements of such articles for the 
fiscal year were obtained in that manner. The articles 
purchased under this allotment plan were in many cases 
purchased under a tentative price subject to revision, 
and later when the crops matured, a revised price was 
made and published to the trade and all supplies pur- 
chased were settled on that basis. The prices were fixed 
at first by the Federal Trade Commission and later by a 
conference committee consisting of members of the Food 
Administration, and one representative each from the 
Federal Trade Commission, the Army, the N'avy and 
the industry concerned. The prices were in the main 
accepted by the trade as fair and reasonable. They 
were based on the cost price of the article, plus what 
was considered as a "fair and just" profit. 

It was necessary in a few cases to commandeer suj>- 
plies, especially in the case of canned tomatoes and peas, 
as the price continued to rise in the commercial market 
even after the price set by the committee was published 
to the trade. In cases where commandeering was neces- 
sary, the dealer had declined to deliver the goods to the 
Army even though he had before entered into an agree- 
ment with the Food Administration to deliver a certain 
percentage of his pack to the Government at the price 
determined as "fair and just." His object was, of 
cause, to sell the supplies in the open market at a higher 
price. 

In order to be fair to the dealers, allotments were 



gtJPPLIEg 



95 



inade by tJie Food Administration on the percentage 
basis, that is, every dealer turned over to the Army or 
Navy a certain percentage of his pack. In the case of 
com this was 12 per cent., and of tomatoes 18 per cent, 
of the pack. 

The market wslb not closed to competition, and if 
anyone had anything to offer cheaper than the fixed 
price, he received proper consideration. Such instances 
were, however, rare. 

In connection with allotments of food and fixing 
prices, a Food Purchase Board was appointed, consist- 
ing of a representative of the Food Administration, the 
Quartermaster General of the Army, or his representa- 
tive, the Paymaster General of the N^avy, or his repre- 
sentative, and a representative of the Federal Trade 
Commission to decide upon what food products should 
be furnished under the allotment plan and to fix a mini- 
mum price which should be paid for any of the 
articles so allotted. 

The following articles were purchased under the allot- 
ment plant : 



Tomatoes 

Sugar 

Beans, stringles8 

Canned apples 

Canned cherries 

Prunes 

Ketchup 

Jams, assorted 



Co,m 

Beans, issue 

Beans, baked 

Apricots 

Pineapple 

Flour 

Strawberry pre- 



Peas 

Canned salmon 
Evaporated apples 
Evaporated peaches 
Canned peaches 
Canned pears 
Evaporated milk 



In October, 1917, it was finally possible to secure one 
of the permanent officers of the Corps who was an 



96 THE QUAETERMASTER CORPS 

expert in Subsistence matters for assignment to the 
Subsistence Branch. The work of this Branch in- 
creased enormously, and orders for the expansion into a 
Division were issued. 

To prevent depot quartermasters in the various dis- 
tricts from competing among themselves for the same 
article, and in consequence causing a rise in price, it 
became necessary to assume control in Washington over 
the purchase of thirty-three principal items. Bids for 
the supply of these items were opened simultaneously 
in each large city or camp where a Quartermaster was 
stationed, the Quartermaster wiring to Washington the 
bid he recommended for acceptance. This gave Wash- 
ington an opportunity to exercise control without ac- 
tually doing the purchasing, as in each case some depot 
quartermaster was instructed to buy, unless all bids 
were considered too high, in which case the Wash- 
ington office would advise where a lower price could be 
obtained. This was centralized control with decentral- 
ized purchase, and the list of controlled items was 
gradually extended until at the time of the armistice 
practically all items were included. To keep advised 
as to prices throughout the country, a section was set 
up to gather from every known source market statistics 
on the principal food supplies. This gave a means for 
quickly checking the quotations received from the vari- 
ous cities. For the first time in our history, the pur- 
chases grew to such volume that the division was able to 
secure practically every article from the manufacturer 
or packer and eliminate the broker. The viciousness 



SUPPLIES 97 

of a system by which the Government is compelled to 
have transactions with brokers or middlemen will be 
again pointed out later. 

As an illustration, some years ago the agent of a 
manufacturing house called upon a purchasing officer, 
to ascertain the prices quoted on supplies manufactured 
by his firm. Being told that as he was not a bidder and 
had declined to submit proposals the information re- 
quested could not be furnished, he replied that it was a 
public office and demanded the information in order to 
ascertain if certain dealers had violated their contract 
with his firm, a contract agTeeing not to sell below a 
stated figure. He was informed it was a public office 
but not an office for the public or such of them as 
were in agreement in restraint of trade. 

Toward the end of 1917 the problem of getting the 
supplies overseas began to require close attention by 
officers already overburdened. The size of the Army 
that was finally to be enrolled had not yet been decided 
upon, and this uncertainty as to the number to provide 
for was one of the serious difficulties of that period. 
Certain food supplies like flour, which is milled 
throughout the year, do not need to be provided for very 
long in advance, but others such as canned vegetables 
and fruits, are seasonal and if not secured at time of 
packing are apt to become scattered among the small 
jobbers and with the retail trade, so cannot later be se- 
cured in large quantities. In fact it was even consid- 
ered necessary to stimulate production of some com- 
modities so that Army needs could be supplied, and 



98 THE QUAETEKMASTER CORPS 

with this in view representatives of the Quartermaster 
Corps frequently attended the meetings and conventions 
of the various trade organizations concerned. No defin- 
ite plan for the size of the Army was at that time avail- 
able, as has previously been demonstrated, and it was 
necessary to make liberal estimates of the quantities re- 
quired and purchase accordingly. This indecision 
forced the officers of the Department to assume a great 
responsibility in order to assure sufficient supplies for 
the Army. It must be remembered that those supplies 
had to be planted, cultivated, harvested and manu- 
factured. If the courage to assume the responsibility, 
notwithstanding the indecision and uncertainty as to 
the numbers of men to be in service in 1918 and 1919, 
and to take the necessary steps to provide the Subsist- 
ence supplies needed in those years were lacking, seri- 
ous results might have followed, as it would have been 
too late to do so. And the officers who assumed that re- 
sponsibility are entitled to credit for their action in that 
matter. 

In 190Y, the then Commissary General of Subsistr 
ence requested authority of the Secretary of War to 
visit Europe to make an inspection of the methods of 
supply and the systems adopted in the English, French 
and German Armies to effect these vital matters during 
a time of war. The then Chief of Staff having stated 
that there were no funds available for this purpose 
the Commissary General of Subsistence offered to go 
at his ovTU expense, as he stated that no previous report 
on this subject had ever been made to our War De- 



SUPPLIES 99 

partment, and it was considered of the highest im- 
portance that the data should be obtained. Permission 
to go was granted under the condition that he had 
stated. This is mentioned for the fact that the follow- 
ing results were obtained from that inspection, all of 
which were of great importance in the late war, and as 
such were a contribution to the war. 

1. Permission was secured to send officers of the 
Quartermaster Corps to the Ecole de I'lntendance in 
Paris. A number of officers took the course before the 
outbreak of the war. One of these officers was in Paris 
when General Pershing arrived there, and it is felt that 
his knowledge of the French Military organization and 
the methods of administration combined with his ac- 
quaintance with the several officers in the French Army 
was of assistance in those early days. 

2. The simplified methods adopted in the British 
Army for Accountability in the Field were studied, and 
were the basis of the methods later adopted in our Army, 
which saved an enormous amount of paper work in the 
field and made the problem of supply easier to solve. 

3. At that time it had been possible for the first 
time in our Army to secure authorization for a Field 
Bakery. That Bakery was, following the practice of all 
the Continental Armies, to be attached to the fighting 
trains of the Army. In Paris it was ascertained that 
the French had decided that the Field Bakery had no 
proper place with the fighting trains, but was an ele^ 
ment of the line of communications and as such should 
be assigned to that service. As a result, after much 



100 THE QUAETEKMASTEK COEPS 

opposition, the Field Bakeries became an element of 
our Service of the Line of Communications, or as it is 
now termed Service of Supply. This enabled the aban- 
donment of the rolling type of field oven and the devel- 
opment of a knock-down type of continuous baking oven, 
which is thought to be superior to any in use in other 
armies. 

4. Observation was made of the work being under- 
taken in France and Germany in regard to rolling kitch- 
ens, and the data secured materially assisted in the de- 
velopment of a rolling kitchen suitable for use in our 
Army. 

5. A suggestion for the establishment of a Supply 
Corps was submitted as a result of the study of the 
organizations abroad, and while it was not adopted it is 
believed that it was helpful when the matter was con- 
sidered four years later. 

The ration in use during the Spanish War proved 
unsatisfactory due to its lack of flexibility and variety, 
caused by the fact that the components were established 
by law. After securing the necessary legislation in 
1901 a change was made, and in 1908, after a profound 
study of the matter a new ration was adopted. The 
subject had been studied exhaustively by many officers 
of the Medical Department of the Army and several of 
them had published books treating on the subject which 
had been recognized as authorities. All these officers 
and their publications were consulted when the change 
in the ration was under consideration, and the views 
obtained or writings consulted of the following recog- 



SUPPLIES 101 

nized authorities: Professor Langworthy, BiTreau of 
Experimental Stations, Department of Agriculture; 
Doctors Wiley and Alsberg, Bureau of Chemistry, De- 
partment of Agriculture; and Professors Atwater and 
Chittenden and others. The purpose was to establish a 
well-balanced ration with proper nutritive value and af- 
fording the necessary variety. It is felt that by the as- 
sistence of the authorities above cited the purpose was 
attained, and therefore at a joint meeting of committees 
of the Food Administration, it was somewhat of a sur- 
prise to hear a temporary officer in the Medical Depart- 
ment assert that the Army needed a balanced ration; 
and to recommend the reduction of the ration in order to 
save supplies. The Quartermaster General called the at- 
tention of the meeting to the facts as above stated, refer- 
ring the temporary officer to many standard publications 
by members of the Medical Department, with which 
works such temporary officer was not familiar. It was 
also shown that in the matter of flour, lard and sugar 
the Field Bakeries and the Messes throughout the service 
were, and had been for some time, making greater sav- 
ings than those recommended by the Food Administra- 
tion. This and other matters of food conservation will 
be more fully treated when describing the work done by 
the Schools for Bakers and Cooks. 

The Quartermaster General also objected to the re- 
duction of the meat component of the ration and the 
substitution of oatmeal instead. This objection was 
based on the fact that a large number of the selective 
draft men would be drawn from cities where thev had 



102 THE QUAETEKMASTER CORPS 

been engaged in indoor occupations and consequently 
did not possess tlie bodily vigor and physical activity 
whicb they would require in an active outdoor life, to 
enable them to undergo the severe strain of active serv- 
ice and endure the exposure, suffering and privation 
which such service exacted. Furthermore as many of 
the selective draft men would be called to the colors to 
replace the valetudinarians who were rejected and to 
make it possible for them to acquire the bodily vigor to 
endure the severe physical training necessary to enable 
them to go "over the top," it was a duty of the Gov- 
ernment to see that proper and adequate nourishment 
was supplied them. 

It was also suggested that any savings of food sup- 
plies other than those already being effected in the train- 
ing camps, should be made by the civilian population, 
for whose protection the selective draft men were being 
trained and made physically fit to encounter the perils, 
hardships and horrors of a war the like of which had 
never before been heard or dreamed of in this world. 

At this meeting the Surgeon General stated that the 
commissioned personnel of his Department had been 
more largely increased than any other Department of 
the Army, that many of the ablest and best known men 
of the medical profession had volunteered to the call 
of duty, and that a large proportion of his time and that 
of his permanent officers was consumed in explaining 
why certain things proposed by some of the temporary 
officers could not be adopted. 

At the close of the conference some of the eminent 



SUPPLIES 103 

autliorities cited by the Quartermaster General ex- 
pressed their appreciation for his having explained the 
care taken to insure the adoption of a well-balanced 
ration. Fortunately, nothing was done to effect the re- 
duction of the ration suggested, and the country has the 
consolation of feeling that everything possible was done 
to enable the selective draft men to go "over the top" in 
such perfect physical condition and training that they 
at least were not too weak to endure the strain, and 
that when they made the supreme sacrifice it was not 
because their bodies were so enfeebled as to make them 
inferior to their opponents. In fact, the bodily vigor 
and training of our men was proven to be equal if not 
superior to those of their opponents, and this to the 
surprise and astonishment of certain militaiy authori- 
ties who had doubted whether the selective draft men 
from the large cities could, because of their indoor oc- 
cupations, be made fit to endure the hardships, exposure, 
sufferings and privations of an active campaign. But 
the results proved the fallacy of their doubts, as has 
been clearly set forth in some of the Kegimental His- 
tories of organizations composed of selective draft men 
secured from such sources. 

The ration adopted in 1908 contained the novel pro- 
vision of authorizing the commander of the field forces 
to prescribe the field rations. This was urged by the 
then Commissary General of Subsistence to enable the 
field commander to take the necessary steps to put his 
command in physical condition to perform the duty 
assigned to them. This was objected to by members of 



104 THE QUARTEKMASTER CORPS 

the General Staff on account of the possible expense it 
might entail ; but it was maintained that as all war was 
waste, the best way to stop the waste was to stop the 
war by giving to the Field Commander the power to 
conserve life and thus afford him an adequate force to 
attain his objective. This provision was very largely 
taken advantage of during the war in France, thereby 
adding greatly to the comfort and well-being of the 
troops and unquestionably maintaining their morale 
and discipline. 

The recommendation made by the Quartermaster 
General in June, 1917, for authority to issue cigarettes, 
tobacco and matches to the troops in France was not 
approved; but later on was granted at the request of 
General Pershing. How thoi»oughly this was appreci- 
ated the records of the several Welfare associations 
which made similar distributions to the troops will 
attest. 

In the spring and summer of the years 1915, 1916, 
1917, a camp was maintained at Washington, D. C, 
under the auspices of the l^avy League, to train young 
women along such lines as they would be capable of 
rendering service in time of war. The ration issued 
at those camps was the Araiy ration, and was prepared 
by cooks who were graduated from the School for 
Bakers and Cooks at Washington Barracks, using the 
Army field cooking equipment ; and the bread was baked 
in an Army field oven by an instructor at the Washing- 
ton Barracks School. The universal satisfaction given 
by the camp mess is surely an evidence of the adapt- 



SUPPLIES 105 

ability of the Army ration, and was a further proof, if 
any were needed, that it was a well-balanced ration af- 
fording the necessary variety in diet. 

EMERGENCY RATION 

In 1901, an emergency ration was adopted for troops 
on active campaign or in the field. It was composed 
of dried gi-ound wheat and dessicated beef, with salt 
and pepper added, and also three cakes of sweet choco- 
late. When it was first adopted the law authorized the 
issue of only one ration a day, and, consequently, when 
the emergency ration was used the garrison ration could 
not be drawn; forced issues of the emergency ration 
therefore created a prejudice against it. About the 
year 1906 a law was secured authorizing the issue of 
the emergency ration, in addition to the regular ration 
to troops on active campaign or in the field for pur- 
poses of instruction. Only one firm manufactured this 
ration, and in order to keep the machinery installed and 
ready for operation in time of war, it was necessary to 
purchase about 100,000 rations a year costing over 
$30,000 annually. Orders were issued directing the use 
of the emergency rations three days a year, and this 
would have consumed the number necessary to keep 
the machinery installed and in operation. The orders 
were disregarded; and later an emergency ration, con- 
sisting of cholocate, nucleo casein, dessicated eggs and 
sugar was devised with the cooperation of the Bureau 
of Chemistry, Department of Agriculture. This ration 



106 THE QUAETERMASTER CORPS 

met with favor among the troops and stringent instruc- 
tions against its use except under orders had to be 
issued. The chocolate ration could be manufactured 
in any quantity desired when needed, and therefore the 
carrying of a large stock on hand was not necessary. 
After a test for over four years in the Philippine 
Islands to determine its keeping qualities, chemical and 
bacteriological tests being conducted every six months, 
the ration finally received the approval of the Surgeon 
General and was adopted. Shortly after its adoption. 
Doctor Langworthy of the Bureau of Experimental 
Tests, Department of Agxiculture, stated his readiness 
to undertake the tests of the emergency rations which 
had been requested some years before, but could not then 
be undertaken as some other tests were then being con- 
ducted. A number of the chocolate emergency rations 
were provided and they were subjected to the digestive 
test, as a result of which a report was submitted, and 
based upon this the approval of the ration by the Sur- 
geon General was withdrawn. The Quartermaster Corps 
was directed to take up the question of the selection of a 
suitable ration with Doctor Langworthy. An excellent 
ration was produced, which it was hoped would be, 
adopted by cracker manufacturers and manufactured 
for sale to the public. This expectation, unfortunately, 
was never realized and only one possible manufacturer 
of the ration was found, and the price was considered 
impossible of acceptance. 

As it was impossible to secure enforcement of the 
order requiring the use of the emergency ration three 



SUPPLIES 107 

days a year, a ration which was in every way suitable 
had to be abandoned. The firm manufacturing it had 
dismantled and junked the machinery. At first this 
was not an embarrassment, as the authorities in France, 
in reply to a question, had stated that no emergency 
rations would be needed. Later when requisition for 
emergency rations was received from France, it was 
found difficult, due to the conditions existing at that 
time in the country because of the war, to construct 
the machinery required for manufacturing the rations. 
But notwithstanding such handicap tbe several millions 
of the 1901 emergency rations were supplied in an in- 
credibly short time. 

In the year 1905, upon the recommendation of the 
Commissary General of Subsistence, a School for Bak- 
ers and Cooks was established at Fort Riley, Kansas. 
This School opened under the direction of Captain M. 
S. Murray of the Subsistence Department, and justified 
its establishment from the very first. Captain Murray 
was succeeded by Captain (now Colonel) Lucius R. 
Holbrook, a Cavalry officer, and the excellent work of 
the School was continued and enlarged upon. The loca- 
tion of the School was fortunate, for it soon attracted a 
number of the Cavalry officers who were attending the 
other schools at that post, and, furthermore, it received 
considerable asistance by the interest taken in it by the 
commanding officer of the post. Brigadier General E. S. 
Godfrey. 

Later other similar schools were opened at Washing- 
ton Barracks and the Presidio of San Francisco, and 



108 THE QUAETEEMASTER CORPS 

still later other schools were established at San Antonio, 
Texas, and at Honolulu and in the Philippine Islands. 

It is not too much to say that these schools con- 
tributed very largely to the success of the training 
camps for officers which were established at Plattsburgh, 
N^ew York, as the personnel of some of the schools were 
sent there to operate the Bakery and conduct the messes. 
The personnel of one of these schools also operated the 
Bakery at the Veterans' Reunion at Gettysburg. 

As previously stated, the number of officers on duty 
in the Office of the Quartermaster General could not be 
increased without first securing authority. Authoriza- 
tion was given in the latter part of May, 1917, to 
assign an officer to duty in the Office of the Quarter- 
master General to have charge of the organization of the 
Bakery Companies needed in the new Army. Captain 
L. L. Deitrick, now Lieutenant Colonel, was selected for 
this detail, and assigned to the charge of the Bakery 
Branch, which was then connected with the Adminis- 
trative Division of the Office. The subject is treated of 
here as it falls more logically in an account of the work 
of subsisting the Army. 

Captain Deitrick had organized the School for Bakers 
and Cooks in the Southern Department, and had pre- 
pared, with the assistance of several other officers, who 
were authorities on the subjects, the new manuals for 
Bakers and Cooks which were issued in 1916. In order 
to facilitate the work of establishing Bakeries for the 
militia organization on the Mexican border. Captain 
Deitrick had secured the names of all graduate mess 



SUPPLIES 109 

sergeants and cooks as well as bakers from the army 
schools for Bakers and Cooks at Fort Riley, Kansas, 
Washington Barracks, D. C, the Presidio of San Fran- 
cisco, California, and Fort Sam Houston, Texas, from 
the time of the organization of each of these schools. 
He also ascertained the names of the men who were still 
in the service, and in what organization they were 
located. A card index was prepared showing the mili- 
tary records of these men and the organization with 
the idea of keeping track of them for future 
emergencies. 

Captain Deitrick reported June 14, 1917, and was 
given charge of all matters relating to the organization 
of the Schools for Bakers and Cooks to be opened in the 
cantonments and the organization of the new Bakery 
Companies for the new Army. While the personnel 
and control of the Bakery Companies was under the 
Quartermaster General, the control of the different 
schools for Bakers and Cooks and their personnel was, 
at the outbreak of the war, under the Adjutant General. 

The Quartermaster General had been directed to or- 
ganize and supervise a system of training for Bakers 
and Cooks for the new Army, and in order to coordinate 
the work of his office on June 14, 1917, recommended 
that the Schools for Bakers and Cooks in the territorial 
limits of the United States and their management and 
personnel be placed under him, as the cooks and bakers 
were so intimately connected with a supply depart- 
ment, and that suggestion was the only possible method 



110 THE QUARTERMASTER CORPS 

of handling the problem. The recommendation above 
was not approved. 

As previously stated, the Schools for Bakers and 
Cooks were first established in 1905, upon the recom- 
mendation of the then Commissary General of Sub- 
sistence. The personnel remained for several years 
under his direction and control, and, notwithstanding 
the fact that very little encouragement and assistance 
was given by the General Staff, the Schools from the 
very first demonstrated their incalculable value to the 
Line of the Army. Upon the establishment of the 
Quartermaster Corps, the control and administration 
of the personnel of the Schools was vested in the Quar- 
termaster General. Shortly after that time the person- 
nel of those schools was transferred to the Adjutant Gen- 
eral and a policy was adopted in regard to the rating of 
the non-commissioned instructors at the schools which 
resulted in many of them securing their discharge from, 
the Service, and the efficiency of the schools was seri- 
ously threatened. Fortunately about the year 1914 
Colonel S. G. Jones, a Cavalry Officer, was on duty 
with the General Staff. This officer had made a study 
of and was an expert on matters relating to Baking and 
Cooking and largely through his efforts the former 
rating of the instructors was restored and it was possible 
to secure the reenlistment of many who had received 
their discharge. If this had not been done it is a serious 
question whether it would have been possible to or- 
ganize the schools for Bakers and Cooks needed for the 
new Army, and thus make it possible to subsist the men 



StJPPLIES 111 

as adequately and efficiently as they were during tke 
war. Colonel Jones deserves credit for making it pos- 
sible to properly organize the new schools. 

After the transfer above referred to all matters relat- 
ing to the course of instruction and other technical sub- 
jects were still referred to the Quartermaster General 
for recommendation, as there were no experts on those 
subjects in the Adjutant General's Department. For 
instance, when new manuals for Bakers and Cooks were 
to be issued, the Quartermaster General was directed 
to have them prepared. This was done in 1916. It 
must be remembered that the Quartermaster Corps prov- 
vided the personnel for the Field Bakery Companies 
and the propriety of giving to the Quartermaster Gen- 
eral the control and direction of the instructors at 
schools, which provided one class of the twenty-seven 
trades to be furnished from the personnel of that Corps 
is indicated. The Adjutant General being charged with 
the duty of providing special men for organization, in- 
cluding cooks, among such classification, had had in- 
serted in the appropriation bill an item authorizing the 
enlistment of 1,200 competent cooks as Sergeants, First 
Class, Quartermaster Corps, for the duration of the 
war only. 

On July 21, 1917, the Quartermaster General was 
directed to make preliminary messing arrangements for 
all organizations at their respective cantonments. 

In May, 1917, a letter had been received at the War 
Department from Mrs. Thomas Robins, of New York, 
stating that she had enlisted the interest of Mr. L. M. 



112 THE QUARTEKMASTER CORPS 

Boomer, the director of the Waldorf, McAlpin and 
Claridge hotels in New York, whose head chef was 
training at the School of Practical Arts at Columbia 
University sixteen experienced cooks in the use of the 
Army ration. Mr. Edouard Panchard, the head chef 
above referred to, also wrote to the Chief of Staff ex- 
pressing jhis desire and that of other prominent chefs 
in New York to assist in training of cooks. Under 
the supervision of Colonel Coleman, who at that time 
was in charge of Bakery matters in the Central De- 
partment, with the cooperation of the faculty of Dun- 
woodie Institute in Minnesota about forty bakers were 
trained during the summer of 1917. 

The training of Cooks and Bakers for an Army is 
an entirely different matter to qualifying men for such 
work in civil life. For in the field the cooks must 
prepare the meals out of doors in all conditions of the 
weather, and with very limited facilities as to ranges, 
sometimes in a pouring rain, and must learn to do so 
with the least possible consumption of fuel. The meals 
must be ready exactly on time, and furthermore the 
cooks must learn to conserve food, how to dispose of the 
refuse and to take all necessary sanitary precautions 
to protect the food while being prepared. The bakers 
must learn to set the sponge for bread in tents and at 
temperatures sometimes many degrees below freezing, 
and learn expedients whereby under such conditions a 
proper temperature for the growth of the yeast plant 
will be maintained. About 1910, under the command 
of General F. D. Grant, a camp of regular troops was 



SUPPLIES 113 

established on the Lake Front in Chicago. At this 
camp there was a field bakery to provide bread for the 
command, and all the Baking Trade Journals called 
attention to the excellent quality of the bread produced, 
and particularly to the fact that the sponge was set and 
developed, the dough moulded and proofed at tempera- 
. tures on many occasions several degrees below freezing. 
It was noted as a wonderful accomplishment and is a 
tribute to the efficiency and practicability of the course 
of instruction given at the Schools for Bakers and 
Cooks. 

The Quartermaster General, after the receipt of the 
instructions above noted stated in an interview with the 
Secretary of War that in order to remove any possible 
source of complaint when the newly drafted men arrived 
at the camps it should be possible to serve them with 
hot meals inmiediately upon arrival; that there was 
not a sufficient number of cooks in the Army to pre- 
pare those meals, and it was recommended authority 
be granted to hire the requisite number of civilian cooks 
for the necessary time and to retain such men until they 
could instruct men from the draft; that the Schools 
for Bakers and Cooks could not provide the men, as two 
months would be required to graduate them as trained 
cooks; and that hot meals immediately upon arrival 
at the cantonments were needed. In reply to a question 
the Quartermaster General stated that it would cost 
over one hundred thousand dollars, and in his estimation 
that any means to provide the hot meals under the 
emergency should be adopted and the emergency justi- 



114 THE QUAETERMASTER CORPS 

fied the expense. The Secretary of War at once author- 
ized the expenditure and instructed that steps be taken 
to carry out the plan. 

A meeting was, therefore, called in the office of the 
Quartermaster General, which was attended by Mr. 
Joseph Bifield of Chicago, Mr. Cecil D. Gregg of St. 
Louis, Mr. Edouard Panchard of New York and others. 
The Quartennaster General informed the meeting that 
687,000 men would report at sixteen different canton- 
ments about September 1st; that hot meals should be 
ready for the men on arrival; that ranges, cooking 
utensils, mess equipment and food supplies would be 
on hand, but the necessary cooks to prepare them were 
not available, and requested that the Hotel Keepers 
Associations, acting in cooperation with the Chefs As- 
sociation would undertake the task of providing the 
cooks ; that about 12,000 cooks were needed in order to 
provide three for each organization but, as in all prob- 
ability that number could not be secured, at least 3,600, 
allowing one cook for each organization, must be pro- 
vided. For surely the Hotel Keepers Association of 
America could not have it said that they were unwilling 
to undertake the biggest problem ever given to such 
associations before. 

It was announced that Mr. Joseph Bifield would be 
appointed Chairman and Mr. Cecil D. Gregg, Vice 
Chairman, and that they should select a committee of 
sixteen, one for each cantonment ; each of these sixteen 
committeemen to correspond with an officer to be desig- 



SUPPLIES 115 

nated who would give all information required con- 
cerning the cantonment for which he acted. 

The following officers were assigned for the duty 
above referred to : 

Lieut. Colonel Sherrard Coleman, Quartermaster 
Corps, on duty at Headquarters Central Department, 
who had charge of the organizing of six National Army 
Camps. 

Major C. Emory Hathaway on duty at Headquarters 
Western Department, who had charge of three camps. 

Major James C. Pegram, Quai'termaster Corps, on 
duty at Headquarters Southern Department, in charge 
of six camps. 

Major William H. Smith, Quartermaster Corps, on 
duty at Headquarters Southeastern Department, in 
charge of ten camps. 

Major Alexander M. Milton, Quartermaster Corps, 
who relieved Major Dickey in the Southern Depart- 
ment. 

Major Stewart C. Elting, Quartermaster Corps, who 
relieved Major Smith in the Southeastern Department. 

Major Ralph Talbot who relieved Major Elting in 
the Southeastern Department. 

The above regular officers are all Cavalry men who 
had taken the course in baking and cooking at Fort 
Riley, while on duty at the Mounted Service School. 

The following were selected as the District Chair- 
men: 

No. 1. Arthur L. Race, Brandon Hotel, Brookline^ 



116 THE QUAKTEKMASTER COEPS 

ISTo. 2. L. M. Boomer, Hotel McAlpin, N'ew York 
City, IT. Y. 

'No. 3. John McGlynn, Hotel Rensselaer, Troy, 

:Nr. Y. 

No. 4. J. M. Frazier, Bellevue-Stratford Hotel, 
Philadelphia, Pa. 

No. 5. F. S. Hight, New Willard Hotel, Wash- 
ington, D. C. 

ITo. 6. J. B. Rector, Reed House, Chattanooga, 
Tenn. 

No. 7. J. Lee Barnes, Majestic Hotel, Atlanta, Ga. 

No. 8. J. Stacy Hill, Hotel Gibson, Cincinnati, 
Ohio. 

No. 9. Otto Seelbach, Seelbach Hotel, Louisville, 

Ky. 

No. 10. Ray Smith, Hotel Pfister, Milwaukee, Wis. 

No. 11. Laurence Adams, Brevoort Hotel, Chicago, 
111. 

No. 12. W. N. Trulock, Hotel Jefferson, Pine 
Bluff, Ark. 

No. 13. Eugene Eppley, Hotel Martin, Sioux City, 
Iowa. 

No. 14. Sam J. Whitmore, Muehlebach Hotel, 
Kansas City, Mo. 

No. 15. Percy Tyrrell, Hotel Gunter, San An- 
tonio, Texas. 

No. 16. L. M. Davenport, Davenport Hotel, Spo- 
kane, Washington. 

Instructions were given that the cooks must be at 
the camps by August 20th, that they would be trans- 
ported to the camps and returned to their homes if 
their services had been honest and faithful; otherwise 
they would be discharged and return transportation 



SUPPLIES 117 

not furnished. Especial emphasis was laid upon the 
absolute cleanliness of the men. 

Instructions were also given to supply each canton- 
ment with ten thousand sets of mess equipment, which 
would be available for the men immediately on arrival ; 
such equipment is in the field supplied by the Ordnance 
Department, but would not be available for the men on 
arrival. 

The first problem was to provide Bakery Companies 
necessary to produce bread for an army of three million 
men; second, and even more difficult, to provide cooks 
and messing arrangements for this new army and to 
coordinate the work of numerous civilians and civilian 
organizations, who desired to train cooks and to providie 
food and messing facilities, as well as to start schools 
for training army cooks. 

WITH REFERENCE TO THE FIRST PROBLEM 

There were on hand in the United States nine Bakery 
Companies with a strength of four officers and approx- 
imately 450 enlisted men. These were all located in 
the Southern Department. The companies were fully 
equipped, and there was sufficient equipment in reserve 
on hand in the various depots to supply three more com- 
panies, or twelve in all. It was, therefore, necessary to 
order at once equipment for one hundred new Bakery 
Companies to take care of this new army, and to use 
every effort to expedite delivery of sufficient of this 
equipment within three months from the date the order 
was placed. This was done. 



118 THE QUARTERMASTER CORPS 

It was also necessary to provide for an expansion of 
these nine Bakery Companies with a personnel of 450 
men into 88 Bakery Companies with a personnel of 
8,880 enlisted men within a period of six months. 
This was also done, although in order to accomplish 
the task it was necessary to establish at once schools at 
which officers and enlisted men could be trained as 
bakers. These schools were established and by January 
1, 1918, 170 officers and approximately 9,000 enlisted 
men had been trained and were serving as army bakers. 

Prior to the War the authorized strength of a Bakery 
Company was one officer and sixty-one enlisted men. 
When it was learned that the size of a division in our 
army would be increased materially, it was necessary 
to draft new regulations increasing the strength of a 
Bakery Company to two officers and 101 enlisted men 
and increasing the equipment from twelve units to 
fifteen units or fifteen field ovens. The new regiila- 
tions were prepared in June, and on July 16th the 
Quartermaster General secured authority to proceed 
with the organization of 88 new Bakery Companies at 
the increased strength. 

On August 30th, or within six weeks, thirty of these 
new Bakery Companies had been organized, equipped 
and trained and were on hand to produce bread for the 
I^^ational Army and the I^Tational Guard when they were 
ordered into camp September 1st. On January 1st, 
88 of the Companies with a trained personnel of ap- 
proximately 8,880 enlisted men had been organized and 
the enlisted men trained in their duties as bakers. 



SUPPLIES 119 

WITH REFEEENCE TO THE SECOND PROBLEM 

The second problem was to provide cooks and messing 
arrangements, kitchen equipment and mess equipment 
for the new army, and to coordinate the work of numer- 
ous patriotic civilians who desired to assist in thi§ 
work. This was more difficult than the preceding one. 

Prior to July, 1917, there had been four army schools 
for bakers and cooks in the United States. These 
schools had an average capacity of about one hundred 
students. It was customary for the regular army or- 
ganization to detach men and send them to these schools 
to be instructed as cooks or bakers. 

E^umerous patriotic civilians had volunteered their 
services to instruct cooks, and to organize schools to 
provide the necessary cooks. It was decided, however, 
that this would be impracticable, as it would be neces- 
sary to separate the students from their organizations 
and send them to various cities for instruction where 
there would be no supervision over them by the army 
authorities. As it required approximately 12,000 cooks 
for the first draft of the National Army alone, it is 
apparent that it would have been impracticable to have 
these men scattered broadcast throughout the country 
without proper means of disciplining them, training 
them or feeding them. It was decided that the only 
practicable method to solve this problem would be to 
train the cooks for tbe Army in their own kitchens and 
to establish schools at every large camp under the con- 
trol of the division commanders in order to carry this 



120 THE QUAETEKMASTER COEPS 

work out, and to train the bakers and cooks under mili- 
tary supervision and control where more satisfactory re- 
sults could be obtained. 

The most vital problem to be considered was the 
means of feeding the new National Army, which was 
about to be assembled in unorganized masses in the 
sixteen l!^ational Army camps. These camps were not 
organized or provided with officers, mess sergeants or 
cooks as the regular army and National Guard were. 
After more than a month's delay, and on July 23rd, 
authority was finally secured from the Chief of Staff 
to proceed with organizing of forces sufficient to look 
after the messing arrangements and cooking arrange- 
ments for tbis National Army. 

Meanwhile, early in June plans had been formed to 
organize schools and Bakery Companies at each of the 
National Army cantonments. Five regular Army of- 
ficers, all Cavalry, formerly trained in the School for 
Bakers and Cooks, Fort Riley, Kansas, were detailed 
on this work. These officers were assigned one each in 
the five territorial departments, and sixteen of the most 
competent non-commissioned officers, former graduates 
from the Army schools for Bakers and Cooks, who had 
been on duty at these schools as instructors, were sent to 
these officers to be trained in administrative work and 
in the proper methods of organizing these new schools. 
Application was made in June for authority to com- 
mission these sixteen non-commissioned officers as cap- 
tains to take charge of new schools. They were com- 
jmssioned as captains about August 10 th and on August 



SUPPLIES 121 

15th one of these officers was on hand at each of the 
sixteen National Army Cantonments, prepared to pro- 
ceed with the organization of the new schools for bakers 
and cooks. 

Prior to the date that these officers reported for duty 
at the various cantonments, the following arrangements 
had been made to insure the success of the undertaking : 

(a) By transfer of graduate cooks and mess ser- 
geants from organizations of the Regular Army, and 
by the utilization of the enlisted personnel of the four 
regular army schools for Bakers and Cooks, an average 
of twelve competent gTaduate mess sergeants was se^ 
cured for each National Army cantonment, or ap- 
proximately one for each regiment of the new army. 
These men acted as assistants to the officers in charge of 
the schools. 

(b) 192 officers, graduates of tbe first training camp, 
were ordered by the Adjutant General to report on 
August 15th, twelve at each National Army cantonment 
for duty as regimental mess officers, and were instructed 
in their new duties between August 15th and Sep- 
tember 1st. 

(c) Civilian cooks were hired at the rate of one to 
each proposed kitchen in each cantonment, and as- 
sembled on August 20th for instruction under the of- 
ficer and non-commissioned officers of the regular army 
in a preliminary course of training in handling the 
army ration and in the system of accounting for the 
ration, and preparing bills of fare, etc. 

(d) Extracts of the most essential parts of the 



122 THE QUAKTEKMASTER CORPS 

manual for Army cooks were prepared by June, printed 
in pamphlet form and distributed to each organization 
of the Regular Army, National Army and ISTational 
Guard at the rate of one for each authorized cook. 

(e) Bills of fare were prepared for periods of ten 
days showing the ingi-edients to be used and the amount 
of each ingredient to be used in the preparation of each 
article of the bill of fare. These were distributed to 
each cook of the Regular Army, National Army and 
National Guard. 

(f) Requisitions were prepared for equipment for 
all kitchens and mess halls of the proposed National 
Army cantonments. The property was ordered the first 
week in July from the various Quartermaster Depots, 
and when not on hand, was purchased under emergency, 
and followed up by the Office of the Quartei*master Gen- 
eral until it was delivered at the camps. By this means 
all of the camps were fully equipped on August 20th 
and reports received from the camps stating that the 
equipment was on hand, for file in the Office of the 
Quartermaster General. 

(g) The table of foods and ration articles, neces- 
sary for organizations of various sizes from 50 to 250 
men, was prepared and sent to the officer in charge of 
the school at each camp. This officer was directed to 
draw the supplies for each organization, which was 
scheduled to be organized at the camp, from the Camp 
Quartermaster, and if they were not on hand, to 
purchase them locally, and to place them in each kitchen 
with the equipment already provided, under charge of a 



SUPPLIES 123 

competent cook wko was furnished witli a copy of the 
bills of fare prepared for the first ten days. 

(h) Plans for permanent bakeries together with a 
list of equipment necessary for them were turned over 
to the Cantonment Division. The bakeries were com- 
pleted by September 1st and ready to operate. In 
order to provide the equipment, however, it was neces- 
sary to purchase ovens of various kinds from the manu- 
facturers and send men to the camps to take charge of 
the installation of the ovens and equipment. 

(i) Instructions were prepared by the Bakery 
Branch of the Quartermaster General's Office and sent 
to each officer in charge of one of the new schools. 
These instructions provided for every emergency that 
could be anticipated. The officers followed the instruc- 
tions laid down and so successfully organized the 
schools according to the plans outlined that no detach- 
ment of the ISTational Army arrived at any of the camps 
at any hour of the day or night without finding a hot 
meal ready to be served. 

(j) Through the hearty cooperation and assistance 
of a Committee of hotel men formed throughout the 
country, who devoted their time and money to the 
task of hiring civilian cooks for temporary duty with 
the National Army, the 4,000 cooks necessary to assist 
in providing food for this Army when it was mobilized 
between the period of August 25th and September 15th 
were secured. This association was so organized that a 
prominent hotel man was appointed chairman of the 
committee and to take charge of each cantonment and 



124 THE QUARTEKMASTEE CORPS 

cooperate with the officer in charge of the school at the 
cantonineiit in providing cooks. The schools were able 
to dispense with the services of the civilian cooks as 
rapidly as mess sergeants and cooks for the ^National 
Army were trained, and by November 1st most of these 
cooks had been discharged. 

On January 1, 1918, the schools mentioned above had 
trained cooks for the overseas forces, the regular army, 
N^ational Guard, the ISTational Army and various inde- 
pendent staff departments. It is estimated that 16,000 
mess sergeants, 50,000 cooks and 1,200 instructors in 
cooking and 9,000 bakers had been trained in these 
schools by January 1, 1918. In addition 180 officers 
had been trained as bakers and in administrative and 
technical work of handling Bakery Companies, and ap- 
proximately 260 officers had been trained in duties of 
an officer in charge of the schools for bakers and cooks. 

The Bakery Branch had also carried on a campaign 
in conservation of food and sanitation from the be- 
ginning through the agency of these schools. A corre- 
spondence course was inaugurated in the Bakery 
Branch, and through the cooperation of the various 
Division Commanders of the National Army and Na- 
tional Guard camps, great improvements were made in 
conservation of food and in sanitation. 

This work was successful from the beginning and 
was the cause of many favorable comments from the 
various Division Commanders as well as from various 
prominent civilians who were interested in the welfare 
of the troops and who visited and inspected these camps. 



SUPPLIES 125 

There was a sufficient number of graduates from 
the School for Bakers and Cooks at the Presidio of San 
Francisco to more than provide the initial number of 
cooks needed at Camp Lewis. These men were called 
back into service and the excess number distributed 
among other camps ; thus amply justifying the wisdom 
of establishing the School. 

It is of interest to note the statements made con- 
cerning the subsistence of the Army in the year 1917 
in the World War : 

At a hearing before the Committee on Military 
Affairs of the House of Representatives on January 7, 
1918, explanation of the arrangements made to provide 
hot meals for the selective draft men on an-ival at the 
contonments was made ; and Mr. Tilson, a member of 
the Committee, said: "By way of corroborating what 
General Sharpe has said, I saw that system in operation 
at one of the camps where I watched the first forty per 
cent of the men come in and the order was that there 
should be a hot meal ready for every man within an 
hour after he reached the camp, and I believe there was 
only one case in which the company cook failed to have 
the meal ready when the men arrived. There was only 
one case that I saw and that company conunander re- 
ceived quite a blowing up, as I remember." 

Senator Wadsworth of 'New York, a member of the 
Committee on Military Affairs, addressing the United 
States Senate in January, 1918, said: "Another thing 
that we should remember at this time is that the Amer- 
ican Army is being fed as well, if not better, than any 



126 THE QUAKTEKMASTER CORPS 

other army on the face of the earth during this period, 
and the credit for that great task, the training of soldier 
cooks in the Quartermaster Cooking Schools and in 
putting them to work in the cantonments in time to 
serve a hot meal, the first meal, to the soldiers as they 
arrive in the cantonments; the credit for that ought 
not to be denied. It is one of the things in which 
foresight and organizing ability were shown, and we 
ought to be gTateful for it, and I am glad to pay tribute 
to the officers and men who accomplished that great 
feat." 

Other commendatory statements were made by Sen- 
ator Wadsworth and other Senators and members of 
the House of Representatives on subsequent occasions. 

STATEMENT MADE BY SECRETARY BAKER MONDAY^ JANU- 
ARY 28, 1918, AT A HEARING BEFORE THE SENATE 
COMMITTEE ON MILITARY AFFAIRS 

"I want to make but one further observation on this 
general subject of the Quartermaster and Supply De- 
partment. I think it is not unfair for me to say that 
in the matter of provision of food, no Army ever as- 
sembled anywhere was fed as regularly, as well, as 
nutritiously, as appetizingly as this Army. I think 
you gentlemen of the committee, and surely the men 
in the War Department, will agree that while there 
have been complaints about other things, that the almost 
universal testimony so far as I know, and the unanimous 
testimony of the Army is that its food has been of the 
highest quality; that there has been no suggestion of 
defective quality or insufficient quantity; that its prep- 



SUPPLIES 127 

aration has been of the highest character; and, gener- 
ally, that the very great problem of food supply of this 
vast and hastily organized gTOup of men has been 
carried out with most extraordinary success." 

In an address delivered August 8, 1918, the Secre- 
tary of War said : 

"We have summoned into being in the United States 
Army now pretty nearly, if not quite, two and a half 
million men, including those overseas and those on this 
side, and although I stand at the center of complaint 
and criticism, and everybody, it seems, in the country — 
most of them helpful I am glad to say — sends me criti- 
cisms and comments which they have heard and stories 
which they think I ought to know. I get all the com- 
plaints, some of them unfounded, some of them 
founded; but from the very first mobilization of the 
Army until now I have not had a single complaint as to 
the food of this vast Army. I do not mean that there 
have not been complaints as to the food which has been 
stored, but I mean that in no camps in this country 
visited by fathers or friends attended by persons in 
every ordinary walk of life, from no camp have I had a 
criticism that the food was insufficient, that it was un- 
wholesome in its character, that it was not well cooked, 
or did not arrive on time. And today, I had a letter 
from General Pershing in which he was commenting 
upon the perfection of supplies on the other side, and 
said that not since the Army had been in France has a 
single man in that Army had to wait a minute for a 
meal that was due." 

In April, 1918, after we had been in the war a year, 
the Washington correspondent of a great New York 



128 THE QUAETERMASTER CORPS 
daily wrote to the Acting Quartermaster General : 

"Greatly pleased with the record which your Depart- 
ment has made in feeding the rapidly expanding Amer- 
ican Army and avoiding all scandal and discontent on 

that score, Mr. , Managing Editor of The 

, wishes to publish a comprehensive story, 

showing how this has been accomplished. Here are 
some of the questions asked by Mr. : 

"Who is the man who provides grub for all the 
camps? He appears to be about the only one against 
whom no kicks have been made. 

"Who is responsible for the efficiency at the several 
camps and for the very excellent preparation for feeding 
the Army which must have been made long before 
the men were sent to camps ? 

"Nobody with whom I have talked, including Army 
officers who have highly commended him, knows the 
name of the man or men who are entitled to immediate 
credit. Who is he or who are they ?" 

What, if any, reply was made to that letter is not 
known, but surely the names of the following should be 
mentioned in reply, viz : Colonel W. R. Grove, Colonel 
Leonard L. Deitrick, Lieutenant Colonel John H. 
Adams, Lieutenant Colonel J. N. Mcintosh, Mr. Joseph 
Bifield, Mr. Cecil D. Gregg, and also the following 
officers in charge of the Supply Depots which furnished 
the supplies required, viz : Brigadier General John M. 
Carson, Colonel Thomas H. Slavens, Colonel Hugh J. 
Gallagher, Brigadier General Albert D. Kniskem, Lieu- 
tenant Colonel William F. Clark, Colonel George McK. 
Williamson and Major General Carroll A. Devol. 



SUPPLIES DIVISION 



Clothing and equipage — Board of Control of Labor Conditions — 
Time when troops could be equipped — Calling troops in 
advance of time so designated — Shipping troops to France 
complicated conditions as to supply — Additional troops — 
Investigation by Committee on Military Affairs of the Sen- 
ate — Shortages at camps — Number of men in service of 
United States on December 31, 1917, who were equipped — 
Number of men in France December 31, 1917 — Reserve ship- 
ment of supplies to France — Over 40,000 men equipped in 
excess of number which was stated could be equipped by 
December 31, 1917 — Problem of supply — Distribution of sup- 
plies in this country — Fuel and forage branch — Conserva- 
tion and reclamation division. 



CLOTHING AND EQUIPAGE 

At the time of tlie outbreak of the war, the purchase 
of clothing and equipage was handled under the super- 
vision of the Clothing and Equipage Branch of the 
Supplies Division, Office of the Quartermaster General. 

The large depot at Philadelphia being the main 
clothing Depot, practically all supplies of this char- 
acter were received through that Depot. Prior to 1916, 
advertisements for supplies were made and proposals 
received at the depots in Philadelphia, Boston, New 
York, Chicago, St. Louis and San Francisco. The 
abstract together with the proposals were forwarded 

129 



130 THE QUARTEEMASTEK CORPS 

to Washington, there consolidated, and afterwards the 
several depots authorized to make awards and enter 
into contracts for the supplies to be delivered to their 
respective depots. In some cases the contracts were 
made at Philadelphia and then forwarded to other 
depots for execution when the contractors stipulated in 
their proposals for delivery at other places than in 
Philadelphia. The depots at ISTew York, Philadelphia, 
Chicago, St. Louis, San Francisco and San Antonio 
were designated as reserve depots for Clothing and 
Equipage and troops in their vicinity were to be sup- 
plied from them, but all of tbese depots had not been 
furnished with adequate supplies, as funds for their 
procurement had not been provided. 

When the Militia was called into service in 1916, 
complaint was made because of the delay in furnishing 
supplies due to the centralized system then in vogue; 
consequently late in the fall of 1916 orders were issued 
establishing these depots for reserve and authorizing 
each to purchase such of the supplies as could be pro- 
cured in their immediate territory; those which 
could not be so procured were to be obtained 
from the Philadelphia Depot. This system was 
not put into effect during the war because 
the total lack of supplies and the enormous quan- 
tity required necessitated a centralized control of pur- 
chase and manufacture. It is noted here, however, as 
that Zone System of Supply was later put into effect 
when ample reserves had been secured and the purchase 
and manufacture had been coordinated and sufficient 



SUPPLIES DIVISION" 131 

funds were available. In 1909 a policy was adopted 
by the War Department of establishing four or five 
depots, to be known as Reserve Depots, in which were 
to be placed the supplies required to bring the organiza- 
tions in the territories supplied by each depot respect- 
ively to a war strength ; adequate funds, however, had 
been appropriated for the Reserve Depot at Phila- 
delphia only. 

When the N^ational Guard was mustered into the 
Federal Service, under call of the President of June 18, 
19 IG, it was found that paragraph 455a, Army RegTila- 
tions, 1913, had not been generally complied with, in 
that many States were deficient in equipment. The 
regulation referred to is as follows : 

Governors of States and Territories and the commanding 
general of the District of Columbia Militia are required at all 
times to keep on hand either at the various company armories 
or in suitable storehouses, a sutfieient supply of arms, uni- 
fonus, and equipment to completely equip for the field the 
minimum number of men prescribed by the President for each 
organization, so that on being called into the seiTice anj' 
organization will be completely equipped from the stores on 
hand in the State, Territory, or the District of Columbia with- 
out calling on the War Department for assistance. 

The muster in of these organizations developed 
shortages in equipment amounting to $4,192,054.46 
based on peace strength, and $6,940,447.36 for equip- 
ment to bring them to war strength, or a total deficit 
of $11,132,511,82 in peace and war strength require- 
ments combined. 

There was in stock at the Philadelphia depot, as a 



132 THE QUARTEKMASTER COEPS 

reserve, in addition to the stock at that and other 
depots, for current requirements, clothing and equipage 
amounting to $5,258,547.23, and materials for the 
manufacture of clothing and tentage amounting to $1,- 
016,725, a total of $6,275,272.23, or $4,857,239.59 less 
than required to equip the organizations called into the 
Federal service at war strength. 

The records of the Office of the Quartermaster Gen- 
eral show that the department endeavored to secure 
funds from time to time sufficient to acquire a reason- 
able reserve of cloth and materials for the manufacture 
of clothing, but appropriations were not made in ac- 
cordance with the estimates as originally submitted. 
The following summary shows the efforts of the Quar- 
termaster General to secure funds for the accumulation 
of a suitable reserve and the amounts finally appro- 
priated : 

Total funds for procurement of reserve clothing 
estimated for by Quartermaster General's 

Office, 1909 to 1916, inclusive, eight fiscal years $12,656,159.50 

Total approved by the War Department 6,330,295.66 

Reduction made by the War Department 6,325,863.84 

Appropriated by Congress 4,121,534.61 

Reduction made by Congress of estimates as sub- 
mitted by War Department 2,208,761.05 

Total reduction 8,534,624.89 

In addition to the foregoing, reductions to the extent 
of $1,066,023.99 were made by the War Department 
in the estimates for current requirements, clothing and 
equipage. Congress further reduced this item to the 
extent of $117,000, making a total reduction of $1,- 



SUPPLIES DIVISIOIT 133 

183,023.99 under current requirements, and $8,534,- 
624.89 for reserve, a grand total of $9,717,648.88, rep- 
resenting equipment of clothing and equipage for field 
service of approximately 138,000 men, or one outfit for 
approximately 200,000 men. (Annual Eeport of the 
Quartermaster General — 1917.) 

It will be noted from this that the War Department 
reduced the Quartermaster's estimates by fifty per 
centum, and that Congi-ess appropriated only one-third 
of the original estimates. The reduction by the War 
Department of the estimates for current requirements 
and the further reduction of this estimate by Congress 
had a most serious result, as it practically reduced by 
that amount the appropriation for the reserve; as the 
current requirements of the men actually in the service 
must be provided for. 

As the question of preparedness had not been brought 
before the people of the country until 1916, it may 
fairly be assumed that Congress was justified in not 
making large appropriations for that purpose. But the 
appropriations were not large, and should have been 
made, particularly for the greatly reduced amounts 
which the War Department approved. Furthermore, 
the reduction made by the War Department was not in 
consequence of a change in policy regarding the estab- 
lishment of Resei-ve Depots. That policy was still 
maintained, but the Quartermaster Corps did not re- 
ceive approval of its efforts to secure the necessary funds 
to carry it into execution. 

The result was that at the beginning of the war the 



134 THE QUARTEKMASTER CORPS 

depots of the Quartermaster Corps were almost com- 
pletely exhausted; and, furthermore, liabilities were 
contracted for the supplies required for the troops on 
the Mexican border, as the troops were retained in serv- 
ice bejond the time for which funds for their support 
had been obtained from Congress, as in accordance with 
the instructions given to the Quartermaster General in 
the Fall of 1916 the estimates were prepared under 
most of the appropriations for the Corps to cover the 
time to about October 31, 1916. As the militia were 
held in service long after that time, a deficiency of about 
$34,000,000 resulted, and as the General Deficiency 
Bill failed to pass Congi-ess on its adjournment March 
4, 1917, the gTeat embarrassment of having to prepare 
for war with no funds available and with a large in- 
debtedness outstanding was placed upon the Corps. 

In the early part of 1917 it became apparent that 
the United States would shortly be drawn into the world 
conflict. In anticipation of this it was decided that all 
possible preliminary steps should be taken to prepare 
for the prompt purchase of clothing and equipage in 
large quantities, and tables were prepared giving the 
supplies necessary for 500,000 men. 

Letters were then prepared to be promptly dispatched 
to the several depot quartermasters to authorize them to 
invite proposals for the quantities specified, the Depart- 
ment reserving the right to increase or decrease the 
amounts at the time the award was made. 

It was the intention to publish this advertise- 
ment for supplies immediately after the passage of the 



SUPPLIES DIVISION 135 

bill making appropriation for the support of the Army 
for the fiscal year 1918 by Congress. 

In a conference with the Secretary of War, the Quar- 
termaster General explained the arrangements made as 
above outlined, and was authorized to issue at once the 
advertisement calling for proposals for the needs of the 
Army for the fiscal year 1918, based on estimates which 
had been submitted to Congress, the appropriation for 
which, however, had not yet been made. 

The advertisement was issued under date of Feb- 
ruary 5th, inviting proposals for supplies to be opened 
on March 5, 1917. 

The Chief of the Supplies Division, under direction 
of the Quartermaster General, visited the depots where 
proposals were to be received, and effected an arrange- 
ment to obtain the widest possible competition, utiliz- 
ing the suggestions and services of Chambers of Com- 
merce and other allied organizations. Under date of 
February 4, 1917, the Quartermaster General sug- 
gested to the Secretary of War the desirability of secur- 
ing the cooperation of the National Chamber of Com- 
merce to effect the appointment of a committee of com- 
petent business men to act at each depot in an advisory 
capacity to the officers on duty at such depots, such 
board or committee of business men to represent the in- 
terests of the business community in seeing that fairness 
was shown in the consideration of all proposals for 
supplies. It was emphasized that the men selected 
should be thoroughly trained business men in no way 
connected with any firm or line of business which would 



136 THE QUAKTERMASTER CORPS 

be likely to submit proposals. This suggestion was ap- 
proved under date of February 4, 1917, and amended 
under date of March 1, 1917, so as to emphasize the 
fact that these men were to act in an advisoiy capacity 
only, and were not to participate in making the award, 
as that duty under the law devolved entirely upon the 
officers of the Corps designated for such possible duty. 

The result of this was in general the appointment of a 
number of well qualified and competent business men 
who by their advice and experience assisted materially 
the officers on duty at the depots. 

By the plan above adopted, and through the coopera- 
tion of the business men on the several depot com- 
mittees, when bids were opened on March 5, 1917, it 
developed that competition was far greater than at any 
previous opening for clothing and equipage supplies, 
and contracts were awarded for the articles called for 
in the advertisement, with the stipulation that payment 
for same would be made when the funds were appropri- 
ated by Congress. This stipulation was necessary due 
to the fact that Congi-ess had adjourned on March 4th 
without enacting the bill for the support of the Army 
in the fiscal year 1918. 

The Revised Statutes provide that deficiencies may 
be created for certain supplies, including clothing, for 
such number of men in the Army as may be authorized 
by law; and based upon this law the contracts were 
entered upon, the deliveries to be made at the earliest 
possible date. The contracts were for the supplies re- 



SUPPLIES DIVISIOIT 137 

quired for 160,000 men, the authorized strength of the 
Army for the fiscal year 1918. 

On March 13, 1917 (S. 473) in reply to a memo- 
randum from the Chief of Staff, the Quartermaster 
General stated that the clothing and equipment, except 
canvas for tentage, for a million men could be procured 
within ten months, that is, by December 31, 1917. 
Nothing further was heard of this, but on March 21, 
1917 (S. 474) the QuarteiTaaster General in reply to a 
communication from the Adjutant General stated that 
if authorized that day it was thought possible to place 
orders for the manufacture of clothing and equipage 
under the opening of March 5th and give additional 
orders for sufficient clothing and equipage to take care 
of 500,000 men (the number specified in the letter of 
the Adjutant General) including the Regular Army and 
I^ational Guard, within sixty days. On March 26, 
1917, the Quartermaster General was directed to take 
action in accordance with his recommendation of March 
21st, and the orders for the supplies were placed as 
promptly as possible. It was found, however, that a 
number of the bidders, under the opening of March 5th, 
who had not received awards under that opening, had 
cancelled their option for new materials, and conse- 
quently could not take orders then at the prices tbey 
had quoted, and it became necessary to secure other 
proposals in an informal way. 

On March 24th, instructions were issued calling a 
number of National Guard organizations into the Fed- 
eral Service, the estimated strength being 68,000 men. 



138 THE QUARTEKMASTER CORPS 

On April 2nd these men were promptly equipped, al- 
though the number which was brought into the service 
was 89,000 instead of 68,000. This increased number 
of men called into sei-vice was undoubtedly necessary 
to provide guards for railways, bridges and water sup- 
plies of cities and towns, though the addition added seri- 
ously to the work of supply (S. 471-H632). 

The Quartermaster General on April 3, 1917, see- 
ing that a call for 500,000 men would evidently be 
made if the selective sei'vice bill became a law, sub- 
mitted a memorandum requesting authority to procure 
the supplies required for an additional 500,000 men 
(S. 476). This was approved by the Secretary of War 
on the same date, and instructions were issued to the 
depot quartermasters to purchase the supplies and exact 
the earliest possible deliveries. The supplies required 
under the authorizations above cited of March 5th, 
March 21st and April 3rd, 1917, were purchased in con- 
formity for the law which requires advertising of pro- 
posals and entering into fomial written contract, or 
when time did not permit of advertising proposals 
were received inforaially and written contracts made. 

The law also requires that the purchases should be 
made where cheapest, the quality, cost of transportation 
and the interests of the Government considered; and 
while there is authority under the acts of April 10, 
1878, and March 3, 1883 (20 Stat, 36; 22 Stat. 487) 
to prescribe rules and regulations to be observed in the 
preparation, submission and opening of bids for con- 
tracts under the War Department, such regulations 



SUPPLIES DIVISION 139 

must conform to statutory requirements and cannot 
preclude persons who are able and willing to furnish 
the required supplies in the time specified. In other 
words, there is no statute applicable to the War De- 
partment similar to Section 3,722, Revised Statutes, 
which, with reference to contracts with the Navy De- 
partment, provides inter alia: "No person shall be 
viewed as a contractor who is not a manufacturer of or 
regular dealer in the articles which he offers to supply." 
The result was that in time of peace persons who 
were neither manufacturers nor regular dealers would 
attend the opening of the proposals for Army supplies 
and there hear read off the lowest prices for which cer- 
tain articles were offered. At a subsequent opening 
of proposals, they could then submit proposals, based 
upon the prices for which contracts had been previously 
made, even for articles produced under definite speci- 
fications carefully defining the quality and minutely 
describing the processes of manufacture. Ascertaining 
that the proposal submitted was the lowest such person 
would then make an agreement with a manufacturer to 
supply him with the quantity of the article desired in 
the time specified and made strictly in accordance with 
the specifications. Having made this agreement, it 
was an easy matter to secure the bond required for the 
faithful fulfilment of the contract by paying the com- 
paratively small fee charged by a bonding company. 
When called upon by the Contracting Ojfficer, such per- 
son would furnish the name of the manufacturer and 
bonding company, and if his proposal was the lowest 



140 THE QUARTEKMASTER CORPS 

the contract had to be awarded to him, provided it was 
in conformity with the terms of the advertisement and 
the instructions to bidders issued in connection there- 
with. This practice led to the establishment in business 
circles of individuals or firms termed middlemen or 
agents. 

In time of peace in case of failure to make delivery 
at the times specified in the contract, or for other de- 
fault under same, it was possible to obtain the supplies 
from manufacturers charging against the bonding com- 
pany the excess cost of the supplies, if any. 

Until the outbreak of the war, the clothing for the 
men was provided in accordance with an estimated 
money value of the clothing required by a man during 
his term of enlistment. It was thought to encourage 
care in the use of the clothing, as, upon discharge from 
the service, the man was paid the amount of money re- 
maining of his clothing allowance, representing the 
articles of clothing which had not been drawn due to 
the care and economy displayed by each individual. 
Such a method of clothing issue required three separate 
accounts to be kept ; an impossibility with a large army 
because of the immense amount of clerical work it re- 
quired. Furthermore, it is the duty of the Govern- 
ment to provide necessary clothing for the men in time 
of war to replace any which may be worn or destroyed 
on active service. Upon our entry into the war effort 
was made by the Quartermaster General to effect a 
change in the matter of the clothing allowance, and 
the paper having been referred to the Judge Advocate 



SUPPLIES DIVISION 141 

General, that officer stated that the clothing allowance 
was never intended as a compensation to the enlisted 
men, and that it lay within the President's authority, 
under law, to prescribe the amount of clothing adequate 
for the service in which an enlisted man was engaged. 
In conformity with these views G. O. ISTo. 89, W. D. was 
published on July 11, 1917, reading as follows: 

The President of the United States directs that during the 
period of the existing emergency a soldier's allowance for 
clothing will be the quantity of clothing necessary and ade- 
quate for the service upon which he is engaged. 

Organization commanders will be held responsible for rigid 
economy in issues and for the proper equipment of enlisted 
men of their commands with the allowances prescribed as 
Equipment "C" in table for quartermaster supplies. 

Articles lost or destroyed through neglect will be charged 
on the pay roll against the man responsible therefor. 

Articles which have been damaged or I'endered unservice- 
able Avill be repaired if practicable or replaced by others. 

The clothing allowance of retired enli.sted men, as estab- 
lished by law, is given in paragraph 137, Army Regulations, 
and is not changed by this order. 

This order will be effective on and after July 15, 1917. 

The style of uniform adopted for the Army is one 
that fits closely to the figure and has a tight standing 
collar on the coat. The unsuitability of such a gar- 
ment for field service, during which a man would be 
called upon to engage in active conflict to defend his 
own life and destroy his adversary is apparent; its 
military appearance is of little consideration when a 
death struggle is to be engaged in. The garments worn 
by athletes in their competitions are not provided with 
tight standing collars. As the uniform was to fit closely, 



142 THE QUARTEKMASTEK CORPS 

a large number of sizes of same had to be provided in 
the tariff of sizes: there were eighteen different sizes 
of coats and thirty-two sizes of breeches. For these 
reasons a change in the style of uniform was recom- 
mended which provided a turn-down collar loose about 
the neck and the coat to fit loosely and comfortably; 
the breeches also were to be changed. If these changes 
had been adopted not more than six or eight different 
sizes would have been required and a greater number 
of men could have been properly fitted from the same 
number of uniforms than would be possible with the 
close fitting style of uniform. Moreover, it is believed 
they would have presented as satisfactory an appear- 
ance. 

These recommendations failed after several attempts 
to secure the necessary approval, and the attention of 
the Quartermaster General was called to the order 
which stated that nothing which did not serve to help 
in winning the war would be undertaken. Surely the 
proper clothing of the men would materially so assist. 
The failure to approve this change resulted later in 
inability to fit the men at the several camps when often 
there was a large number of garments on hand. Effort 
was made at the same time to change the officers' uni- 
form so as to have a turned down rolling collar, and it 
was pointed out that as nearly thirty thousand new of- 
ficers would be graduated shortly from the training 
camps the time was opportune. Such a change would 
have made it possible for many excellent civilian tailors 
to cut and make the ofiicers' uniforms. 



SUPPLIES DIVISION 143 

This recommendation was also disapproved and later 
when several thousand medical officers were appointed 
for service in France the Quartermaster Corps was 
ordered to sell to such officers the uniforms they re- 
quired, as such unifonns could not be produced by the 
military tailors in the time required. This resulted 
in depleting the stock of the Quartermaster Corps and 
made it impossible to supply some of the drafted men 
in the camps as promptly as they would otherwise have 
been supplied. 

It is understood that before the field service uniform 
was adopted it was shown to President Roosevelt and 
that he objected to the tight standing collar, thinking 
the turned down collar was more suitable and appropri- 
ate and that he was informed the tight standing collar 
was more "military." Our lady and canine friends 
wear tight standing (military) collars as an adornment; 
the former through choice but never when engaged in a 
death struggle, as witness the uniforms of the Bat- 
talions of Death ; and the latter under compulsion and 
to that collar a leash is often attached for the purpose 
of restraining freedom of action. 

The participants in athletic contests are provided 
with uniforms which in no way interfere, but on the 
contrary, in every possible way, assist them to exert 
their full muscular powers to win the contest. A com- 
parison with the uniform of those engaged in a contest 
for life is not necessary, but surely no benefit is derived 
for such contestants by wearing a "military" collar. 
In time of peace our Army is raised and kept re- 



144 THE QUAETEKMASTER CORPS 

plenished by volunteer enlistments. The number of 
men authorized by law being a very small percentage 
of the total population, in normal times there are a 
great many more applicants for enlistment than there 
are vacancies. As a consequence certain physical re- 
quirements have been established by the War Depart- 
ment, which prescribe a minimum and a maximum, as 
to height, weight and chest measurements; and any 
applicant for enlistment who was not included in the 
limits established was rejected, notwithstanding the 
fact that he might have been in good healthy physical 
condition. The Regular Aniiy in time of peace was a 
very carefully selected body of men, as is shown by the 
great number of rejections of men applying to enter the 
service. It might fairly be said that the men were a 
normal physical type. 

To provide the clothing and equipment it was found 
after years of experience that certain sizes each of pre- 
scribed measurement were necessary, and it was als' 
found, based upon the experience of 3^ears, that a certain 
number of each size would be required in outfitting a 
certain number of men. Tables were therefore pre- 
pared and had been in use for a considerable period 
giving the number of each size that would be required 
to equip each 1,000 or ten thousand men. These tables 
were known as Tariff of Sizes for each garment. A 
Quartennaster preparing a Requisition for Clothing for 
his command would base it upon the total number of 
each size called for by the several organizations in 
the command. This would afford the Depot Quarter- 



SUPPLIES DIVISION 145 

masters an opportunity to ascertain if the established 
Tariff of Sizes were correct and report would be called 
for from them at frequent periods to determine whether 
any modification was necessary. When new organiza- 
tions were to be outfitted and the sizes required for the 
men composing same was not known, experience had 
proved that if twenty-five per cent, in addition to the 
number required for the organization were shipped, 
assorted according to the Tariff of Sizes, that it was 
possible to outfit the organization perfectly. Any excess 
number of the various sizes would be returned to the 
Quartennaster, who would be enabled from such excess 
to provide for the wants of another organization. Con- 
sequently in ordering the manufacture of new clothing 
the contract would be based upon the Tariff of Sizes, 
and this method was followed in preparing the clothing 
for the new army. 

When the Selective Service Act was put into opera- 
tion and the men first drafted reported to the camps, 
the careful physical selection that had been heretofore 
made was entirely disregarded, and if a man was 
physically sound he was certified to the service regard- 
less of his height, weight or chest measurement. And 
it was then found that the Tariff of Sizes did not 
apply to such drafted men as it had to the men here- 
tofore enlisted in the Eegular Army. As an illustra- 
tion, the men coming from Michigan and several west- 
ern States were found, as a general rule, to be much 
taller and larger, and the men coming from certain 



146 THE QUAKTERMASTER CORPS 

eastern cities proved to be shorter and mucli smaller, 
than those who had been previously enlisted. 

General Order No. 26, War Department, dated Au- 
gust 16, 1912, prescribed a method of measuring the 
soldiers' feet and fitting the shoes. It stated : 

1. With a view to increasing the marching capacity of 
troops, Company commanders will personally measure the feet 
and fit the shoes of the men of their commands and will be 
held responsible that the instructions herein contained are 
strictly followed. (Then was given in precise detail the method 
to be adopted.) 

By the same order it was enjoined that light woolen 
or heavy woolen socks would habitually be worn for 
marching, but orders issued in France required the men 
to wear two pairs of heavy woolen socks in the trenches 
in the winter time. Consequently it is evident that the 
men would require a larger size shoe to enable this to 
be done. This, of course, was not foreseen when the 
Tariff of Sizes of shoes was prepared. An elaborate test 
was made with the fitting of the men's shoes on the 
Mexican border in the fall of 1916, and the Quarter- 
master General endeavored several times to secure a 
copy of it but without success. On November 14, 1917, 
a Board of Ofiicers, consisting of two officers of the 
Quartermaster Corps, an officer of the Medical De- 
partment and Mr. E. J. Bliss, President of the Regal 
Shoe Company, met to discuss the subject of the fitting 
of shoes for the men. At this meeting, it was the 
unanimous opinion that if General Orders 26, War 
Department 1912, was complied with there would be no 
question but that the proper fit could be secured. 



SUPPLIES DIVISION" 147 

The Tariff of Sizes for Shoes gave six different 
widths and fifteen sizes. Learning of the large sizes 
of the men drafted, the table was modified by omitting 
the smallest size and width, and increasing the number 
of sizes by two. Later when men of small stature 
were drafted from the cities, the small sizes had to be 
again adopted. 

In time of peace the Army with its very limited ap- 
propriation was compelled to secure the sizes which 
would be needed by the troops and therefore adopted 
its own Tariff of Sizes. If a civilian tariff' had been 
adopted and then it was discovered that the men could 
not be fitted from the sizes on hand, and there were no 
further funds with which to secure the proper sizes, 
it is thought that the authorities might properly be 
censured for not following their own tariff sizes. 
Realizing that the Ai-my Tariff of Sizes had always 
proved correct in the past it was quite natural that 
they should be followed for the new Army, until demon- 
strated to require modification. 

It must be remembered that upon the passage of 
the Selective Service Law there was a reservoir of 
ten millions of men and all that was needed was to 
pick out 500,000 of them, and say that on a designated 
day they must report at specified camps, and this might 
result in the very large men being assembled at one 
camp; and, furthermore, it must be understood that 
no advance notice had been or could possibly have been 
given of the sizes of garments required for these men. 
Someone had to use his best judgment and discretion 



148 THE QUAKTEEMASTER CORPS 

before the time of assembling; and of course tbat 
could not be as accurate as a criticism based on a 
passed event. 

After an exhaustive study by a Board of Officers, a 
type of shoe last, known as the Munson last, from the 
name of the officer on the Board who devised it, was 
adopted for use in the Army. The upper was made of a 
light weight calfskin of tan color, lined with canvas, 
the soles welted and of a number nine gauge leather. 
The shoe produced was very comfortable and its shape 
and structure eliminated any possible source of injury 
to the feet. It was light in weight and for that reason 
was objected to by the officers of the Quartermaster 
Corps as being unsuitable and unserviceable for field 
use. This objection was met by the assertion that as a 
people we were accustomed to wearing light weight 
shoes, and further that it would be impossible to have 
the army equipped with the strong heavy shoes worn in 
Continental annies. However, in the spring of 1916, 
when the Punitive Expedition crossed into Mexico, it 
was soon demonstrated that the light weight shoe pro- 
vided the men would be worn out in a week's campaign 
and rendered unserviceable and the men likely to be 
injured. Consequently, in the fall of 1916 samples of 
the field shoes worn by the British, French and Belgian 
Armies were secured and with the assistance of a num- 
ber of qualified shoe experts a type of field shoes, made 
of heavy leather, with strong double soles, covered with 
hob-nails and having a steel heel plate was devised. 
About two hundred pairs of these shoes were sent to 



SUPPLIES DIVISION" 149 

the Mexican border for trial and report. Early in the 
spring of 1917, as no report had been received, the 
Quartermaster General directed the purchase of about 
sixty thousand pairs of these field shoes. These were 
also sent to the Mexican border, and ascertaining that 
they had not been used there instructions to ship them 
to France were given when the first Division was or- 
dered to sail from this country. Soon after the arrival 
of the troops in France, request was received from the 
authorities there to ship only the field shoes for use of 
the troops. In tbe meantime the manufacture of the 
field shoes had been undertaken on a large scale, and 
the light weight garrison shoes reserved for use in the 
camps. The troops were all being equipped with two 
pairs of field shoes when prepared for embarkation. 

As previously shown authority had been obtained to 
purchase the clothing and equipage for the Regular 
Army and National Guard, both raised to war strength, 
and also for 500,000 men to be secured by the operation 
of the Selective Service Law when it was enacted by 
Congress; a total of about one million men. By in- 
structions from the Acting Chief of Staff the estimates 
were prepared for an authorized strength of 1,078,000 
men and submitted to Congress soon after the opening 
of the session on April 2, 1917. 

By the National Defense Act of 1916 a Council of 
National Defense was created which was composed of 
the Secretary of War, the Secretary of the Navy, the 
Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Commerce 
and the Secretary of Labor. It also authorized an Ad- 



150 THE QUAKTERMASTER CORPS 

visory Commission under the Council of IsTational De- 
fense to make special investigation of any subject 
deemed desirable, and authorized the Council of ISTa- 
tional Defense to organize subordinate bodies, either 
experts or committees, for the prosecution of these 
special investigations. A body known as the Advisory 
Commission of the Council of Il^ational Defense was or- 
ganized in December of 1916. It was divided into 
seven different sections of activities, as follows: trans- 
portation and communications; munitions manufacture, 
including standardization and industrial relations; sup- 
plies, including food and clothing; raw materials, min- 
erals and metals ; engineering and education ; medicine 
and surgery, including general sanitation ; labor, includv 
ing the preservation of health and welfare of workers; 
and later the commercial economy board was formed, 
the purpose of which was to eliminate waste and the 
production of all unnecessary articles. Still later a com- 
mittee on coal production was formed, but its duties and 
functions were taken over upon the passage of the law 
creating the Fuel Administration. 

After the formation of these committees to advise on 
industries and raw material, it was found that there was 
no real point of contact with those departments of the 
Army and of the Navy which were purchasing supplies 
and that a system for coordinating their needs and 
bringing them to public notice was required. The Gen- 
eral Munitions Board, consisting of seven members, was 
then formed for this purpose. That organization func- 



SUPPLIES DIVISION 151 

tioned for several months and was finally changed into 
the War Industries Board. 

This Board authorized a Clearance Committee. It 
also had a raw material division, with experts on differ- 
ent kinds of raw material ; supplies division, called the 
committee on supplies; a finished products division and 
a priorities committee. 

On April 8, 1917, a conference was held in the office 
of the Secretary of War, which was attended by the 
members of the Council of !N"ational Defense, the Ad- 
visory Commission of the Council, the General Muni- 
tions Board and the members of the several committees 
created by this Board, and the Chiefs of the various 
Departments of the War Department. This conference 
was called to discuss the manner in which the purchase 
of supplies required for the Army should be made. It 
was pointed out that the quantity of supplies required 
was enormous and in some cases in excess of the possible 
production of the country; that, furthermore, the pur- 
chases by the allies had to a great extent depleted the 
market. The prices had largely advanced and with the 
increased demands from abroad, both from the allied 
and neutral nations, still greater advances in prices were 
anticipated. The necessity to protect the interests of 
the people by preventing any unwarranted advance in 
prices was emphasized, and also the necessity of stim- 
ulating production to meet the requirements. It was 
maintained that to advertise publicly for proposals for 
the supplies needed would afford an opportunity to 
corner the market and greatly increase the cost of the 



152 THE QUAKTERMASTER CORPS 

supplies and possibly tend to check the installation of 
new sources of supply, and it was urged that under the 
conditions then existing there was an emergency necessi- 
tating the immediate procurement of the supplies re- 
quired. This discussion was participated in by a num- 
ber of the members of the Conference. It was also 
urged that under the existing conditions the purchases 
should be made by "merchandising" with the various 
manufacturers and producers directly. This conten- 
tion was advanced by several members of the Com- 
mittee on Supplies who were recognized in the com- 
mercial world as being thoroughly competent and emi- 
nently successful men of affairs, some of them being the 
heads of the largest business organizations in the coun- 
try which provided all classes of supply. As a result 
of this conference, the following order was made by the 
Secretary of War and published under date of April 12, 
1917: 

WAR DEPARTMENT 

Washington, D. C, April 12, 1917. 

ORDERS : 

1. It is hereby declared that an emergency exists 
within the meaning of Section 3,709, Revised Statutes, 
and other Statutes which except cases of emergency 
from the requirement that contracts for and on behalf 
of the Government shall only be made after advertising, 
and as to all contracts under the War Department for 
the supply of the War Department and the supply and 



SUPPLIES DIVISION" 153 

equipment of the Army and for fortifications and other 
works of defense; and nntil further ordered such con- 
tracts will be made without resort to advertising for 
bids in the letting of the same. 

2. Where time will permit information will be given 
to the Munitions Board constituted by the ISTational 
Council of Defense, through the Supply Bureau's repre- 
sentative, of orders to be made for supplies, with the 
view of assistance from the Board in placing the orders 
and in order that the supplies of the War Department 
may be coordinated with those for the !Navy and other 
executive departments and secured at prices not in ex- 
cess of those paid for other departments. 

3. It is to be understood, however, that the responsi- 
bility of the several supply bureaus for promptly sup- 
plying the needs of the Army must be recognized ; and 
where time will not admit of the delay in consulting the 
Munitions Board, the supply bureaus will retain their 
present initiative in contracting without reference to the 
board. 

(Signed) NEWTON D. BAKER, 

Secretary of War. 
E102387— 17. 

Later at a conference with the Secretary of War, the 
chairman and sub-chairman of the Committee on Sup- 
plies and the Quartermaster General, it was arranged 
that for clothing and equipage supplies the Quarter- 
master General was to deal direct with the chairman 
or sub-chairman of that Committee, thus to expedite 
action. It was further arranged that an officer of the 
Quartermaster Corps should sit with that Committee 
when it was arriving at agTeement as to prices with 
the various manufacturers and the allocation as to or- 



154 THE QUARTERMASTEE CORPS 

ders for supplying the various articles. Such officer 
to be the representative of the Quartermaster Corps in 
such matters. It was further arranged that all woolen, 
cotton and leather supplies, a list of at first about nine- 
teen articles, should be procured through the assistance 
of the Committee on Supplies and Colonel H. J. Hirsch, 
of the Quartermaster Corps, then stationed at the Phil- 
adelphia Depot, should be the representative on that 
Committee. 

The method of procedure was for the Quartermaster 
General to inform the Supply Committee that certain 
quantities of supplies were required at a specified time, 
and to request information with whom the contract for 
same could be entered into and the prices for such 
articles. The names of the individuals, the prices, etc., 
were to be furnished the Philadelphia Depot and the 
contract would then be prepared by Colonel Hirsch 
and signed by him as representing the Government. 
He thus being the Contracting officer and signing the 
affidavits on the contract as he was a party to the agree- 
ment as to prices. Later on the list of articles to be 
procured through the Committee on Supplies was ex- 
tended to include all articles relating to clothing and 
equipage. Instructions were given by the Quarter- 
master General that in all cases where commissioned 
officers of the Quartermaster Corps were acting in con- 
junction with any Committee of the Council of 'Na.- 
tional Defense in the matter of placing orders for ma- 
terials and supplies for the Quartermaster Corps and 
the fixing of prices at which the orders should be placed, 



SUPPLIES DIVISION 155 

if any instance occurred where they (the officers) dis- 
agreed with the opinion of the Committee of the Coun- 
cil, it was their duty to bring the matter to the atten- 
tion of the Office of the Quartermaster General so that 
the matter could be presented to the Secretary of War ; 
and such officers were informed that they were associ- 
ated with the Committee of the Council because they 
had been selected as having particular knowledge of the 
various matters to be handled, and as representatives of 
the Quartermaster Corps they were so to act as to pro- 
tect the interests of the Government. 

The latter part of October, 1917, Colonel Hirsch was 
ordered to Washington to organize and assume charge 
of the Quartermaster Purchasing and Manufacturing 
Office. This office was charged with the responsibility 
of making all awards and contracts for clothing and 
camp and garrison equipage for the Army. 

On April 18, 1917, a statement was furnished the 
Committee on Supplies, Council of National Defense, 
showing the articles purchased for one million men to 
that date, the amounts delivered, and the date of the 
final completion of the contracts. In forwarding this 
statement, the Secretary of War requested that steps be 
taken under Section 120 of the National Defense Act, 
approved June 3, 1916, to expedite the delivery of 
designated articles. This section, in time of war, au^ 
thorizes the Government to take over a plant or to 
place an order with same and requires in this case that 
precedence shall be given to the Government order; it 
further stipulates that the price can be fixed by the Gov- 



156 , THE QUAETEEMASTER COEPS 

ernment but that it must be fair and just. Fine and 
imprisonment may be imposed for failure to comply 
with the Government's orders, l^o action was taken 
under that section. 

The Committee on Supplies was from time to time 
furnished with the list of supplies required for one 
million men in addition to those for whom purchases 
had already been effected ; and requested to inform the 
Depot Quartermaster, Philadelphia, where the supplies 
could be obtained, the price at which they could be pur- 
chased and the rates of delivery. 

After the passage of the Selective Service Law on 
May 19, 1917, it was learned that it was contemplated 
to call an additional 500,000 men into the service, and a 
memorandum was submitted to the Secretary of War 
on May 29, 1917. 

"To date orders have been or are being placed for 
the initial equipment of clothing, equipage and ma- 
terials for 1,000,000 men, and the upkeep for the first, 
second and third quarters. ISTo steps have yet been 
taken to place orders for the fourth quarter for the first 
million men. 

"In view of the fact that it was understood that a 
total of 1,500,000 men will soon be in the Federal 
service, for which the Quartermaster Corps will be re- 
quired to furnish equipment, it is recommended that 
authority be granted to place orders immediately for 
the equipment required for the remaining 500,000 men. 

"If it is approved, a deficiency of about $110,000,000 
will be created." 

HENEY G. SHAEPE, 
Quartermaster General. 



SUPPLIES DIVISION" 157 

"I concur, unless our Government decides to provide 
for no more than the Regular Army, war strength ; Na- 
tional Guard, war strength ; and the first 500,000 men." 

TASKER H. BLISS, 
Acting Chief of Staff. 
"Approved. 

"The memo, of General Bliss is based upon a thought 
of a second increment of 500,000 men, but the memo, of 
General Sharpe deals only with men now in sight for 
training." 

BAKER, 
(S. 489) Secretary of War. 

At that time, May 29th, it had already been decided 
to make the first call of the Draft for 500,000 men, 
which, with the Regular Army and National Guard both 
at war strength, wovild make a total of about 1,500,000 
men. 

On July 11, 1917, the Committee on Supplies was 
informed that it had then been furnished with the re- 
quirements for the fourth three months for a million 
men and for the initial equipment and a year's upkeep 
for 500,000 men and the Council was requested to 
state with whom the contracts were to be placed and the 
prices at which the goods should be purchased ; and was 
informed that it was urgent that arrangements should 
be made for obtaining the stores at the earliest prac- 
ticable date. 

On July 11, 1917, a memorandum was submitted by 
the Quartermaster General to the Secretary of War, 
as follows: 

"Orders have been placed, or will be placed shortly. 



158 THE QUAETERMASTEK CORPS 

for clothing and equipage supplies for the year's re- 
quirements for 1,500,000 men. It is understood that 
approximately 2,000,000 men are to be mobilized. It 
is therefore requested that authority be granted this 
office to take steps to place additional orders for an 
additional 500,000 men for clothing and equipage. 

"We have estimated for the necessary funds in the 
deficiency estimates which have just been submitted." 

Approval of this request was given by the Secretary 
of War on the same date, and on July 31, 1917 (S. 
508), the Committee on Supplies was requested to ad- 
vise the Depot Quartermaster Philadelphia where the 
articles could be obtained, the prices at which they 
could be purchased and the rates of delivery. 

The deficiency bill passed on October 6, 1917, and 
provided for 2,033,345 men for the year ending June 
30, 1918. Just shortly after the date of its passage, by 
instructions from General Bliss the then Chief of Staff, 
the estimates for the fiscal year 1919 were to be pre- 
pared for 1,612,245 men as previously shown. On Sep- 
tember 15, 1917, request was made upon the Secretary 
of War (S. 505) for authority to place orders for 
clothing and other supplies so as to obtain the capacity 
of the mills up to December 31, 1918, thus insuring 
prompt deliveries. This request was approved by the 
Secretary of War on the same date. Contracts were 
thereafter made for the supplies for two million men, 
providing for deliveries up to December 31, 1918, when 
it was to the advantage of the Government. The con- 
tracts thus assuring the deliveries all through the cal- 



SUPPLIES DIVISlO:tT 159 

endar year 1918 made it possible to promptly clothe 
and equip the large number of Selective Service men 
drafted in that year to provide the reinforcement of the 
allied battle lines needed after the German drive of 
March, 1918. Possibly this might have been effected if 
the supplies had not thus been assured, but it is thought 
this action substantially assisted in the successful solu- 
tion of the problem. Contracts were made for clothing 
and equipage supplies, incurnng the following obliga- 
tions of indebtedness : 

From March 5, 1917, to June 30, inclusive $240,729,264.36 

July and August 188,327,858.27 

October 148,899,509.03 

September, November, December, estimated 188,327,858.27 

$766,284,489.93 

The correct figures for the months of September, No- 
vember and December are not available, but it is as- 
sumed that the purchases made those three months equal 
those made in July and August. While one contract 
alone made in September involved material to the value 
of $56,298,750, to be conservative the estimate for 
those three months is assumed as the amount of the 
purchases made in July and August. 

Contracts for the purchase of shoes were made on 
proposals submitted in response to telegraphic notice 
to shoe manufacturers. These proposals were con- 
sidered by the officer assigned to act with the Committee 
on Supplies, Colonel Hirsch, assisted by the members 
of the Sub-Committee composed of the most expert sho€i 



160 THE QUARTEKMASTER CORPS 

manufacturers in the country and contracts made in 
accordance with, the awards. 

Cloth and other articles for clothing and equipment 
were handled by the method of "merchandising." This 
necessitated a personal interview by the manufacturer 
or producer with the Committee on Supplies, at which 
Colonel Hirsch was present and sometimes several in- 
terviews were necessary before a satisfactory agTcement 
was reached. 

As previously stated, the members of the Committee 
on Supplies were competent and successful business men 
who ^ad achieved great success in the commercial 
world in building up great corporations by skilful mer- 
chandising; they maintained that the "merchandising" 
method should be adopted in procuring the supplies for 
the Army in order to prevent an unwarranted advance 
in prices. It was also asserted that as Army officers 
had been trained to make purchases by the public solici- 
tation of proposals, few of them were familiar with the 
merchandising methods. 

In "merchandising" the price to be paid is naturally 
of first consideration, for one expert in that method 
of purchase endeavors to effect it at the very lowest price. 
In fact it may be stated as a fundamental law of that 
method that of the two parties to the transaction the 
first endeavors to buy at the lowest and the second to 
sell at the highest obtainable price. If there is a differ- 
ence as to price, as is natural under this law, time is 
necessary to compose the situation, as each party main- 
tains the justness of his proposition. This may necessi- 



SUPPLIES DIVISIOl^ 161 

tate many interviews and consume much time. Further, 
such negotiations must naturally be confidential, for if 
the argument and prices finally agreed upon are known 
to others, the one endeavoring to purchase would be 
handicapped when entering upon negotiations with 
other sellers, and the seller also handicapped when ef- 
fecting a sale with other buyers. Consequently, it is 
mutually agreed that the concessions are for the in- 
dividual only. In every transaction there are certain 
elements to be considered, and therefore there must 
be a meeting of minds to agree what conditions should be 
considered and allowed to govern in each transaction; 
as the cost of raw material, labor, overhead charges, 
financial capacity, and state of equipment will vary with 
each individual. The necessity of considering anything 
confidential in a transaction of this kind for the pub- 
lic service suggests the idea of secrecy, always abhorrent 
in such service. 

Then again, merchandising for such an enormous 
amount of supplies as the Army required limited the 
consideration only of the propositions submitted by 
manufacturers or producers. To have extended its 
application to dealers or others would have given op- 
portunity to them to effect a comer in the market. 
And to have admitted them would, even if there were 
no attempt to comer the market, have necessitated the 
payment of an amount in excess of the actual value of 
the articles in order to provide them their commissions, 
which it was their business to secure. So it may be as- 
sumed that only manufacturers or producers could be 



162 THE QUAKTEEMASTER CORPS 

considered, for from them only could tiie lowest pos- 
sible price figures be secured. 

For these reasons the Committee on Supplies adopted 
the rule of dealing with no middlemen or agents. By 
so doing, the Committee eliminated a number of the 
individuals or firms who, because in times of peace 
purchases were made by issuing public notice soliciting 
proposals, having offered at the lowest prices, had for- 
merly transacted business with the Quartermaster 
Corps. Many of these middlemen or agents visited 
Washington and interviewed the Committee, and were 
disappointed to learn that they could transact no busi- 
ness with it. Exception was made as to being excluded 
from the business and some complaints were made re- 
garding the manner of their reception by the Com- 
mittee. Several of the complainants being men of in- 
fluence and standing in their communities, called later 
upon the Committee accompanied by their Senators or 
Representatives, or bearing letters of introduction from 
them, and received the same information. Both parties 
leaving the interview entertaining similar views as to 
the position taken regarding the nile of exclusion and 
the manner of their reception. The officials probably 
felt that their dignity had been affected in the pres- 
ence of their constituents. This undoubtedly created 
a feeling of resentment among members of Congress 
against the Committee on Supplies, and is accountable 
for the opinion formed there of the Committee, which 
was evident later when the Senate Investigation was 
undertaken. 



SUPPLIES DIVISION" 163 

The manufacturers and producers, being unable to 
ascertain the prices paid for the supplies purchased by 
the Government, finally resorted to the means of secur- 
ing them by inspecting the contracts in the Returns 
Office, Department of the Interior, where by law all 
contracts made by the War Department must be placed 
on file. They are open to inspection of anyone de^ 
siring to see them and copies can be secured by the 
payment of a small fee. Anyone who is familiar with 
the investigations made by Congress at the close of 
the Civil War into the matter of Army and Navy con- 
tracts must recognize the wisdom of such a law. In- 
formation as to prices thus secured by the manufactur- 
ers or producers interfered, however, with the system 
of merchandising adopted and the Secretary of War, 
on request of the Committee on Supplies, directed that 
the contracts should be held some time before being for- 
warded to the Returns Office Department of the In- 
terior. The result was a protest against such action but 
no change was effected. All contracts were, after a 
delay, forwarded for file, but then the information se- 
cured from them as to prices was not sufficiently up to 
date to be of much service. 

Unquestionably the supplies procured by the as- 
sistance of the Committee on Supplies were obtained 
at the lowest possible prices, and as a merchandising 
system was an entire success and tended to prevent an 
abnormal advance in prices for the public and also for 
the allies. But in practically ignoring the element of 
time, which was so vital when supplies were needed at 



164 THE QUARTEKMASTER CORPS 

once to equip the Army, the system failed. For if 
price, and not time of delivery is the dominating ele- 
ment in a transaction, the merchandising system may 
result in late deliveries of supplies, just because of 
more favorable prices for same, that is, lower prices. 
This is noticeable in several instances : 

In March, 1917, contract was made with the Ameri- 
can Woolen Company for a considerable quantity of 
cloth, and for blankets. The contract expired July 31, 
1917, and prior to that time the Committee on Supplies 
was urged to aiTange terms with the company for a 
new contract. Shirting flannel and blankets were es- 
pecially needed to meet the requirements for the men 
going to the camps in AugTist and September. To have 
the shirts available at that time, the shirting flannel 
should be delivered early in July to permit the making 
of the shirts and shipment to the camps. The Ameri- 
can Woolen Company had its machinery all arranged 
and the force available to produce the greatest possible 
number of yards of shirting flannel a day. Many in- 
terviews were held by the Committee on Supplies with 
the representatives of this Company, but agreement 
as to prices was not reached until a short time prior 
to September 22, 1917, when contract was made involv- 
ing material to the value of $56,298,750.00. The deliv- 
eries of some of the supplies were not to be completed 
until late in the spring of 1918. On this contract an 
advance of nearly $19,000,000.00 was made to the 
American Woolen Company under the provisions of the 
Act of Congress of October 6, 1917, which permitted 



SUPPLIES DIVISION 165 

advances of funds to contractors to the extent of one- 
third of the amount of the contract. Purchase of 600,- 
000 blankets had to be made in August, 1917, to meet 
the situation and these, of course, were not of the qual- 
ity or color prescribed for use in service (S, 498). In 
September the purchase of about a million shirts had 
to be made to supply the camps (S. 508). 

On August 31, 1917, a letter was sent to the Com- 
mittee on Supplies, stating that owing to a change of 
plans over which the Quartermaster Corps had no con- 
trol, the demands for woolen outer clothing and woolen 
underwear would be very great. The change of plans 
referred to was the decision to ship troops abroad each 
month; the plan was adopted without consulting the 
Quartermaster General as to the supplies available for 
the troops, and information was communicated to him 
by a casual inquiry as to whether supplies were on hand. 
The letter referred to stated the necessity for the pur- 
chase of nearly 1,500,000 suits of underwear. On 
October 15, 1917, the Committee on Supplies inquired 
if the quantities referred to in the letter were in addi- 
tion to the quantities previously stated, and on October 
16th was informed in reply that they were in addition. 
Meanwhile as the underwear was not forthcoming 
through the Committee on Supplies, early in September 
the depot quartermasters were directed to buy it in 
open market for immediate delivery and to make ship- 
ments to the camps. This action was taken under para- 
graph 3 of the order of the Secretary of War, dated 
April 12, 1917, directing that the assistance of the Com- 



166 THE QUAETEEMASTEE COEPS 

mittee on Supplies should be sought in placing orders 
for supplies. The paragraph reads, as follows : 

3. It is understood, however, that the responsibility of the 
several supply bureaus for promptly supplying the needs of 
the Army must be recognized; and where time will not admit 
the delay involved in consulting the Munitions Board, the 
supply bureaus will retain their present initiative in contract- 
ing without reference to the board. 

This action directing the purchase through the depots 
caused a protest from the Committee on Supplies, and 
a conference was called in the office of General Bliss, 
Acting Chief of Staff on September 9th, and up- 
on the insistence by the representative of the Commit- 
tee that the Committee and the Depot Quartermasters 
should not both be in the market at the same time, and 
upon his statement that he could have sufficient under- 
wear secured and on the way to the camps within forty- 
eight hours, instructions were wired the depot quarter- 
masters to make no purchases. However, it was not un- 
til the latter part of October that sufficient woolen un- 
derwear for two suits per man was on hand, and then 
the reserve was very small. Early in October a suf- 
ficient number of blankets was not on hand, and under 
paragraph 3 of the order referred to the Depot Quarter- 
masters were instructed to purchase comforters in such 
numbers that each man in the camps would be provided 
with three blankets or two blankets and a comforter. 
This also caused a protest but the purchases were made 
and the men provided, the protest, however, resulting 
in a practical rescinding of the paragraph of the order 



SUPPLIES DIVISIOIT 167 

as far as future purchases by the Depot Quartermas- 
ters was concerned. 

The Committee on Supplies, shortly after commenc- 
ing to operate, requested to be informed of the number 
of men in service, and later, after the dispatch of troops 
abroad, requested the number of troops in France. The 
Quartermaster General informed the Committee that 
orders prohibited the furnishing of information as to 
the number of troops in camps; and that the number 
in France was guarded with such perfect secrecy that 
the Quartennaster General was not informed. Later, 
the Committee received the information from some 
source, but not through the Office of the Quartermaster 
General. This information was evidently desired by 
the Committee to enable it to decide whether the sup- 
plies called for were needed immediately or whether, 
in the opinion of the Committee, the need was not ur- 
gent and delay in procuring them would be of advantage 
in merchandising. 

Whenever report was made to the Committee on short- 
ages, request would be made by it to be informed what 
had been done with all that had already been bought. 
The Committee failed to realize the wear and tear on 
a soldier's uniform with the consequent necessity for 
quick replacement. Furthermore, the Committee would 
express opinions, to those requesting them, as to whether 
the condition of supplies warranted action regarding 
the calling of troops at a designated time. Such opin- 
ion would be adopted by those desiring an opinion favor- 
able to the plan proposed, in preference to the state- 



168 THE QUAKTERMASTER CORPS 

ments from the office of the Quartermaster General 
which was responsible in the matter, and would be so 
held even if action were taken contrary to those states 
ments. An instance of this is as follows: On May 
22, 1917, orders were issued calling the first 500,000 
men of the National Army to the colors. On July 18, 
1917, effort was made by the Quartermaster Corps to 
show that this could not be done and the General Staff 
conferred with the Committee on Supplies and received 
from it figures as to the condition of supplies and an 
opinion as to the possibility of providing for the call, 
which were at variance with those from the Office of the 
Quartermaster General. The views of the Committee 
on Supplies prevailed and the men were called under 
date of August 24, 1917. (S. 500-1.) The Com- 
mittee's figures and opinion were given subsequent to 
a letter forwarded it on August 4, 1917, which quoted 
a letter from the Depot Quartermaster at Jeffersonville, 
Ind., stating that the supply of shirting flannel was 
exhausted at the Depot. The letter continued: "It 
may be well to state in this connection, that from re- 
ports coming to this office, it would seem that the Com- 
mittee on Supplies have been misinformed as to the 
amount of clothing and equipment on hand for issue 
to the Army. And it should also be stated that any 
shortage of clothing is not due to the failure of the 
Quartermaster Corps to conserve the supply or have the 
material made into garments as rapidly as delivered, 
but is due to two causes, namely: 1. Deliveries under 



SUPPLIES DIVISI0:N" 169 

contract not being sufficiently early to meet the de- 
mands; 2. Delinquencies under existing contracts." 

It should be noted that in time of peace when de- 
linquencies occurred under a contract, the Quartermas- 
ter Corps purchased in open market, charging any ex- 
cess cost against the contractor or those who had guar- 
anteed security under his bond. When operating by the 
assistance of the Committee on Supplies this was not 
possible, as the Committee maintained it would disturb 
market prices, and furthermore that it had practically 
all the mills operating to fill the orders. On August lY, 
1917, the Chaii-man of the Committee on Supplies at a 
hearing before the Committee on Appropriations of the 
House of Representatives, stated : 

"Aside from uniforms I would say that there should 
be no question but what the needs of 500,000 men 
could be supplied on the 1st of September." 

Being asked "How about uniforms ?" he replied : 

"A large part, of them will ; possibly not in sufficient 
quantity to be able to fit every man, because this must 
be taken into consideration, that it requires many times 
as many uniforms a'§ there are men in order to be able 
to fit the men; the surplus stock required is very con- 
siderable." 

As uniforms were the essential necessity at the camps 
in case of the calling of the men, and the Chairman of 
the Committee on Supplies indicating by his reply that 
there would be a shortage, thus agreeing with the state- 



170 THE QUARTEKM ASTER CORPS 

ments from the Office of the Quartermaster General, 
it is regi'etted that his views were not accepted by the 
General Staff in preference to those of other members 
of the Committee on Supplies. 

The conditions which existed as far as supplies were 
concerned at the beginning of the war were very similar 
to those in England, and it is believed that it was neces- 
sary to adopt some plan to effect the large purchases re- 
quired wdth as little disturbance as possible to the mar- 
ket. There the plan adopted was to form a civilian 
body, headed by the Surveyor General of Supplies, who 
purchased all the materials. Associated with him was 
an Advisory Board composed of officers from the sev- 
eral Supply Departments. The Quartermaster General 
for the Forces, the Master General of Ordnance and 
other supply officers formed a board in the War Office. 
This latter board prepared the requirements and for- 
warded them to the Surveyor General of Supplies with 
instructions to buy the quantity desired at the time 
designated; and it was the duty of the Surveyor Gen- 
eral of Supplies to see that the deliveries were made 
in the quantity desired and at the time specified. 

Every possible credit should be given the Committee 
on Supplies for the zeal, industry and intelligence con- 
stantly displayed in all of its transactions and also for 
the enterprise shown in inducing new plants to under- 
take the manufacture of blankets, ducks and the sev- 
eral cloths required for the uniforms. The manner 
in which plants were transfonned and arranged so as 
to make possible the production of fabrics which before 



SUPPLIES DIVISION" 171 

that time would be considered an impossibility for such 
plants was truly astounding. 

A country which adopts a policy of neglecting, in 
time of peace, to prepare for war insists upon the utmost 
economy as regards money matters and adopts a most 
improvident and wasteful extravagance of time; time 
which should have been utilized in making preparations, 
that is, providing its National insurance. 

When such a country is later forced into war, it 
necessarily is compelled to reverse its action and, in 
order to provide for the troops in the short time avail- 
able, must exercise economy as to time and be extrava- 
gant as regards money. 

The adoption of the merchandising method of pro- 
curing the supplies in time of war means a continuation 
of the erroneous policy adopted in peace time, for to 
succeed in such a method the vital element of time must 
be wastefully squandered in order to effect the pur- 
chases at the lowest possible prices; consequently it is 
not a method of procurement of supplies which can 
be wisely adopted in time of war. 

Later in the year after the purchase of a quantity of 
wool in Australia and the opening of a Wool Purchas- 
ing Depot in Boston, the Committee on Supplies chang- 
ed its method of arranging for contracts for material, 
by determining the price it wovild pay per yard and 
then allocating the yardage to the various mills. Even 
under this plan certain concessions were allowed, or 
demanded, because of the character of the machinery 
or the overhead charges. 



172 THE QUAETERMASTEK CORPS 

There were expert officers, secured from civil life, 
who were stationed at such mills as had Government 
contracts. The law requiring the inspection of Govern- 
ment supplies on delivery, the officers at those mills in- 
spected the cloth when manufactured. They then fur- 
nished a certificate to the depot and shipped the cloth 
at once to clothing manufacturers. The depots paid for 
the clot*h upon the receipt of certificate of inspection; 
at the Boston Depot the payments were made thirty- 
six hours after the delivery of the cloth as just described. 

There were in the country a large number of clothing 
manufacturers, and as authority had been received at 
the outbreak of the war to make contracts without ad- 
vertising, when it was known the date cloth would be 
available contracts were at once made so that the fac- 
tory would be prepared to commence work immediately 
upon the delivery of the cloth. Once commencing oper- 
ations it was necessary to keep that factory supplied 
with cloth, otherwise it would be obliged to lay off some 
of the employees; if this once happened, some time 
would elapse before the employees would again be as- 
sembled land therefore delay in the production of the 
completed garments would result. Orders were issued, 
however, to depiots not to hold cloth in reserve, nor allow 
a contractor to have more in his possession than to pro- 
vide for a few days' op€ration, and if thei*e was any un- 
necessary delay in a contractor's delivery of garments 
whatever cloth was in his possession was to be with- 
drawn and given to some other contractor to expedite 
the delivery of the garments. 



SUPPLIES DIVISION 173 

Tlie difficulty at all times was to secure the cloth 
in sufficient quantities and with early deliveries so as 
to allow time to cut, make and trim the uniforms. The 
contracts for manufacturing the garments were, until 
some time in October, made by the Depot Quartermas- 
ter at Philadelphia. After October, the contracts were 
made by Colonel Hirsch, who was in charge of the office 
of the Purchasing and Manufacturing Quartermaster 
in Washington. 

On April 3, 1917, the Boston Wool Trade Associa- 
tion forwarded to the Secretary of War a resolution, 
passed unanimously by the Association, in which it was 
resolved that the members of the wool trade of Boston 
would neither sell nor buy any wool in this country nor 
in transit thereto until further notice from the Com- 
mittee appointed by the Association, and they further 
resolved to offer the entire stock of wool tops and noils 
to the United States Government at values current on 
April 2nd, as handsome and patriotic an offer, it is be- 
lieved, as any of the many handsome things done during 
the war. This resolution was acknowledged by the As- 
sistant Secretary of War on April 5th, and the same 
day the Secretary of War sent the following telegram 
to the Boston Wool Trade Association : 

"We wish to express sincere appreciation of your patriotic 
action looking to assist the Government in supplying its needs 
for wool, I have referred the matter to the Munitions Board 
of the Council of National Defense, and you will undoubtedly 
hear from them shortly." 

Copies of the correspondence were furnished the Of- 



174 THE QUAKTEEMASTEE COEPS 

fice of the Quartermaster General, but no report or rec- 
ommendation was called for. The telegram from the 
Secretary of War stated that the resolutions were re- 
ferred to the Munitions Board of the Council of Na- 
tional Defense, and also stated that the Munitions Board 
would reply. 

At that time the appropriations of the Quartermas- 
ter Corps were completely exhausted. There was a de- 
ficiency incurred in 1916 of $34,000,000 and obliga- 
tions greatly in excess of $100,000,000 had been made 
for the supplies contracted for to clothe and equip the 
army. The purchase of wool would require "spot" 
cash and there were no funds available. In addition, 
wool, as such, had never been bought out of the appro- 
priation and it was a question if it could be as Sec. 3678 
of the Eevised Statutes states that the sums appropri- 
ated shall be applied solely to the objects for which they 
are respectively made and for no others. It was, fur- 
thermore, the impression that the resolutions were re- 
ferred to the Munitions Board because it was composed 
of business men who would suggest the proper action 
to be taken. As far as the Quartermaster Corps was 
concerned it had never made speculative purchases and 
none of its oflBcers was trained in that character of busi- 
ness. The reply was made to these resolutions by the 
Chief of the Eaw Materials, Minerals and Metals Sec- 
tion of the Munitions Board but no information as to 
the action was ever furnished the Office of the Quarter- 
master General. In the light of future events, it is a 
pity that some arrangements were not made whereby 



SUPPLIES DIVISION 175 

this handsome offer could have been accepted as it was 
so advantageous to the Government. While copper was 
largely used by the Signal Corps and the Ordnance De- 
partments, neither of those bureaus had to buy up all 
the supply. It is also pertinent to recall that the Secre- 
tary of War endeavored to secure the first war appro- 
priation of about $3,000,000,000 as a lump sum and 
Congress declined to make the appropriation in that 
form but made it in the usual form of specifying the 
items. The fair conclusion to be drawn from that ac- 
tion was that Congress intended the provisions of Sec- 
tion 3678 should be observed. 

Some time in June it was represented by the Com- 
mittee on Supplies that in order to obtain the supply 
of clothing required for the Army it would be necessary 
to control the wool supply. Two of the officers on duty 
in the Office of the Quartermaster General were directed 
to consult with the accounting officials of the Treasury 
Department to ascertain whether under the terms and 
verbiage of the law it was possible to buy wool. On 
June 6th these officers reported that the officials con- 
sulted held that that purchase could be made. There 
were still no funds on hand as the appropriation bill 
did not pass until June 15th and the funds included 
in the bill did not become available until after July 1st:. 

On July 11, 1917, the Quartermaster General re- 
quested authority to buy supplies for an additional 
500,000 men, making 2,000,000 in all. The estimates 
submitted in August were for 2,033,345 men for the 
fiscal year 1918. The Secretary of War in approving 



176 THE QUARTERMASTER CORPS 

the request stated "The policy of purchasing a certain 
amount of wool will first be put into effect." The sum 
of $10,000,000 was made available for this purchase 
and conference held with the Committee on Supplies 
to arrange the manner and methods of purchase. A 
Quartermaster wool-buying office was established on 
August 1, 1917, in Boston, Mass. For the purpose 
of obtaining and maintaining a supply of wool avail- 
able at all times while the war should last so that 
manufacturers contracting for supplies for the Quar- 
termaster Corps might be protected in their bids in 
the event that they did not own the wool themselves, 
the following Committee, denominated "The Com- 
mittee on Wool Supply of the Council of INational 
Defense" was appointed by the Committee on Sup- 
plies of the Council of National Defense and the ap- 
pointments confirmed by the Secretary of War: Mr. 
Jacob F. Brown, Chairman; Mr. Stephen C. Metcalf, 
Mr. Frederick S. Clark, with Mr. Robert H. Stevenson, 
Jr., as Secretary ; Captain W. B. Gracie, Quartermaster 
Corps, was detailed to take charge of the wool office 
in Boston. 

It was the inte'Ution of the War Department to main- 
tain a reserve supply of wool approximating, but not 
exceeding, $25,000,000, and to endeavor to keep this 
quantity as a working stock ahead of orders. Based on 
this the Committee was to proceed to purchase $10,- 
000,000 to $12,000,000 worth of wool, a portion of 
which should be suitable for the 8i/2-ounce flannel, 16- 



SUPPLIES DIVISION" 1Y7 

ounce suiting, 30-ounce overcoating and blankets, with 
possibly some finer wool adapted for underwear. 

It was easy to speak of the desirability of the pur- 
chase of wool for the Government, but it was not a 
simple matter to arrange the method of purchase and 
this fact was fully appreciated by the gentlemen com- 
posing the Committee. As they were all engaged in 
the wool business, the plan adopted had to consider 
the possible criticism of their action based on that fact ; 
then the method of payment for the purchases, the in- 
spection of the wool on delivery, the storage of the wool 
carried as reserve, the payment of charges for storage 
and drayage, and the insurance of the wool in storage; 
also the method of making sales of the wool to the Gov- 
ernment contractors and the manner in which payments 
would be effected. These were all matters of the most 
vital importance, for if the fullest consideration had 
not been given to these subjects, the opportunity of 
criticism might have arisen and the possibility of cast- 
ing unjust reflection upon the members of the Commit- 
tee. In addition, forms for accounting for the wool pur- 
chased, vouchers for the payment of same and receipts 
for the sale of the wool had to be devised and their 
approval secured by the accounting ofiicials of the Treasr 
ury Department. 

The ability and thorough knowledge of the wool busi- 
ness and of all of its ramifications, possessed by the 
members of the Wool Committee, enabled it to devise 
the plan of its operations, and their standing in the busi- 



178 THE QUAETERMASTER CORPS 

ness community secured the assistance and cooperation 
of the Wool Trade in Boston. 

Arrangements were perfected through the State De- 
partment to effect a purchase of about 78,000,000 
pounds of wool in Australia, and through the Shipping 
Board to secure its transportation to this country. The 
Committee on Wool Purchase prepared instruction pre- 
scribing the manner in which the Australian wool 
should be inspected and delivered and the method of 
payment. 

Plans for the organization of a wool purchasing of- 
fice having been effected, in order to more completely 
control the wool situation and particularly that portion 
derived from re^worked wools, the Committee on Sup- 
plies emphasized the necessity of the control of clip- 
pings from Government cloths and also the rags from 
wornout and condemned blankets and uniforms. The 
Committee on Supplies recommended that contracts be 
entered into for this purpose with the Base Sorting 
Plant in ISTew York, and stated that the prices named in 
the contracts were established by the Committee's own 
experts and were considered fair and just. As the 
Quartermaster Corps had never undert.aken the work 
of sorting rags there were no officers in the Corps who 
were trained in the work or who possessed knowledge 
of the business. The members of the Committee on 
Supplies were expert business men assigned by the 
Secretary of War to assist the Quartermaster Corps 
in the work imposed upon it by the War, the fair as- 
sumption being that the Committee would be of especial 



SUPPLIES DIVISIOl^ 179 

assistance in any new line of work, particularly such 
in which it claimed to have experts. The Committee 
on Supplies having stated that it had experts on this 
line of work and that the prices were fair and just, in- 
structions were given to enter upon the contracts. Later 
it developed, after an investigation ordered by the Quar- 
termaster General, that the prices charged in the con- 
tracts were excessive, and they were terminated by 
authority of the Secretary of War upon the recom- 
mendation of the Quartermaster General, and over the 
protest of some of the members of the Committee on 
Supplies, 

The supervision of the operations of the Base Sorting 
Plant for the four months of the existence of the con- 
tracts was entrusted to the Depot Quartermaster, New 
York, who also made the investigation. That officer 
and his assistants thus became familiar with the work 
and learned where the necessary experts could be se- 
cured. Upon the termination of the contracts the work 
was continued by the Depot Quartermaster under the 
supervision of the Conservation Division of the Office 
of the Quartermaster General. 

COMMITTEE ON SUPPLIES 
(Later the Supplies Section of the Finished Products Division 

of the War Industries Board.) 
Julius Kosenwald, Chairman Rufus W. Scott 
Charles Eisenman, Vice- F. R, Eddington 

Chairman C. B. Stevens 

Albert L. Scott S. M. Kaplan 

Harry L. Baily S. F. Strook 

Millor Wilson Jacob F. Brown 

D. D. Martm Stephen 0. Metealf 



180 THE QUAKTERMASTEK CORPS 

Arthur Lawrence Frederic S. Clark 

J. F. McElwain Maj. H. S. Wonson 

Lincoln Cromwell Capt. B. B. Burgunder 
F. E. Hai^rht 



BOAED OF CONTROL OF LABOR CONDITIONS 

The contracts for making articles of uniform con- 
tained clauses requiring the enforcement of the Eight 
Hour Law and the Child Labor Law, and also a clause 
prohibiting the sub-letting of the contract, this to pre- 
vent the possibility of the work of the making of uni- 
forms being done in sweatshops. Before awarding a 
contract, the shops in which the work was to be done 
were inspected by the contracting officer to determine if 
the equipment was sufficient to insure compliance with 
the terms of the contract. In June, 1917, reports 
reached the Mayor of New York that the uniforms for 
the Army were being made on the sweatshop system and 
the report of the Committee appointed by him was 
forwarded to the Secretary of War, who directed an 
investigation of the matter. The report submitted in 
pursuance of this order indicated that in some instances 
uniforms had been sent from the contractor's shops in 
order to be hand-finished as required by the contracts. 
The Quartermaster General issued instructions prohib- 
iting the sending of the uniforms from the contractor's 
shops, and to effectively remove the possibility of such 
action, the specifications for making the garments were 
changed so as to eliminate all handwork upon them, 
and requiring all work to be done by machine. 

On August 24, 1917, the Secretary of War estab- 



SUPPLIES DIVISION 181 

lished the Board of Control of Labor Standards for 
Army Clothing, which was composed of two civilians 
and an officer detailed from the Quartermaster Corps. 
The Board was to operate under the direction of the 
Quartermaster General. Offices were secured for the 
Board in New York City and the necessary personnel 
provided, consisting of clerks and stenographers, in- 
spectors of labor conditions, a fire hazard inspector, and 
later an officer was assigned from the office of the Depot 
Quartermaster in New York, to act as inspector of wage 
conditions. 

All contracts for making uniform clothing were made 
by the Depot Quartermaster, Philadelphia, and that of- 
ficer was directed before entering upon a contract to 
communicate with the Board of Control and secure a 
certificate that the labor conditions of any firm's plant 
were satisfactory, and that its normal capacity was suf- 
ficient to enable the contract to be executed in accord- 
ance with its terms. That officer was also directed 
to inform the Quartermaster General in case there was 
any delay in receiving the above required certificate. 
The Board's final report shows that after October 1st 
the time of one inspector was fully spent in following up 
clues as to the existence of home finishing of uniforms 
made under Government contract, and that only one 
verified instance was found. The Board was called to 
report upon 129 firms and many of these had addi- 
tional shops in which they carried on their work. The 
Board approved or disapproved of each shop on its own 
merits, and a copy of its report, to the Depot Quarter- 



182 THE QUAKTEKMASTEK CORPS 

master was furnished each firm. The disapproval of a 
shop was not final, as upon making the specified changes, 
the disapproval would be removed. 

Two firms were disapproved by the Board for rea- 
sons other than shop conditions in regard to safety and 
sanitation. One of these was on account of labor 
troubles and the other on account of a pending prose- 
cution against the firm by the New York City Fire De- 
partment. The latter firm made the changes required 
by the Fire Department. Inspections were made by 
the Board in l^ew England, New York City, New 
Jersey, Philadelphia, Maryland, Georgia, Alabama, 
New Orleans and St. Louis, and arrangements were 
being perfected to district the country and to have, in 
addition to the New York force, inspection headquar- 
ters in Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago. These ar- 
rangements, however, were not effected by December 
31, 1917. The Board of Control of Labor Standards 
for Army Clothing consisted of Mr. Louis C. Kirstein, 
Chairman; Mrs. Florence Kelley, Secretary, and Cap- 
tain Walter E. Konesi, Q. M. O. E.. member. 

Time when troops could he equipped; Calling troops 
in advance of the time designated; Shipping troops to 
France complicated the conditions as to supply. — In 
reply to an inquiry by the Chief of Staff, the Quarter- 
master General on March 13, 1917, stated: (S. 473) : 

"1. Clothing and equipment necessary for one mil- 
lion men can, under existing conditions, be procured 
within ten months with the understanding that it might 
be necessary to purchase some blankets which do not 



SUPPLIES DIVISION" 183 

conform to existing specifications, but which would 
closely approximate standard quality and color." 

(It will be noted that the ten months specified would 
end December 31, 1917.) 

The Adjutant General on March 21, 1917, by direc- 
tion of the Secretary of War directed that the follow- 
ing information be furnished : 

"7. If large numbers of men have to be trained 
before they can be equipped with regulation uniforms, 
etc., is the Quartermaster General prepared to at once 
recommend some kind of comfortable civilian clothing, 
from hat to shoes, which can be purchased commercially 
in quantities sufficient for, say, 500,000 men ?" 

To which reply was made the same date, as follows: 

"7. If authorized today to place orders for the man- 
ufacture of clothing and equipage, it is believed this 
office can open communication with the bidders under 
the opening of March 5th and place additional orders 
for sufficient clothing and equipage (taking into con- 
sideration the obsolete clothing now on hand and which 
has been held for possible emergency use) to take care 
of 500,000 men, including the Regular Army and the 
National Guard, within sixty days, or as rapidly as 
the recruits can be enrolled." (S. 474-5.) 

It will be noted that reference in the above inquiry 
of the Adjutant General is made to supplying the men 
if called early for training with civilian clothing. 

The Secretary of War on January 10, 1918, stated 
as follows before the Senate Committee on Military 
Affairs : 



184 THE QUARTEKMASTER CORPS 

"At the outset there was a question to be decided as 
to which of two policies ought to be pursued, whether 
we ought to assemble a large force and begin its train- 
ing before it could be fully clothed in soldier clothes 
and equipped, and let the equipment and clothing come 
along as it could, or whether we ought to postpone the 
assembling of large forces and delay their training until 
full equipment was actually in hand. Speaking of my 
own part in it, I was earnestly urged by men of great 
weight to call out large forces at once, and men of dis- 
tinguished military experience and reputation said to 
me that it was unimportant whether they drilled in their 
own clothes, or whether, at the outset, they had rifles; 
that the elements of military training were such that 
men could drill in their own clothes without arms for a 
while." 



On January 28, 1918, the Secretary of War stated 
before the Senate Committee on Military Affairs that 
a very competent General officer had called at his of- 
fice — "I have forgotten when, but it was early — and 
suggested to me the advisability of instantly calling 
out a large army. I said, 'But, General, we have not 
the clothes and we have not the weapons for them.' He 
said, 'I know that, Mr. Secretary, and they need many 
things before they need the rifles. They need to live 
together, get used to camp conditions ; they need the ele- 
mental discipline of camp life; they need to be taught 
to keep step ; they need to know the subordinations of 
the Army and it will take some time to give them that 
preliminary instruction.' He pointed out to me that in 
England, the so-called Kitchener army drilled for 



SUPPLIES DIVISION 185 

months, as be said, in their civilian clothes, with top 
hats and using a stick for arms, I said to him, 'General, 
I agree with you that it is important to have our Army 
equipped rapidly so that a prolonged period of training 
may be given to them; but we will call out first the 
Eegular Army and then we will call out the National 
Guard, build it up to war strength.' But with the draft 
army they would have an additional period of train- 
ing in the field by reason of the fact that the Army 
cannot be shipped abroad in bulk suddenly. It was 
necessary to attempt to forecast the amount of time 
needed for training, and it was deemed wise to put the 
men in the camps in order that they might learn this 
matter of camp discipline, camp sanitation, the ele- 
ments and essentials of the soldier's life a little in ad- 
vance of their being fully tried with arms." (S. 1944.) 
At the same hearing the Secretary of War stated : 

"I have already said to you that at the outset we had 
the problem as to whether we should wait until we had 
an adequate supply of clothing or whether we should 
not." 

"I did not then know nor do I know now, nor can I 
know, how rapidly it may be necessary for us to send 
men to France. I know how rapidly we have sent 
them. I know how many are there. I know what 
our present plan is to send them, but I do not know but 
tomorrow — this has not happened — but I do not know 
but that tomorrow it might turn out that it would be 
wise to double the rate at which we are sending troops." 
(S. 1,759-8.) 



186 THE QUARTERMASTER CORPS 

In Requin's book "America's Race to Victory" on 
page 43 we read as follows : 

"Without following day by day the development of 
this organization, we may note in the following pages 
its principal stages. 

"Nothing comparable with it had been done since the 
formation of the British Armies in 1915-1916. Be- 
sides, the problem faced by the United States offered 
conditions of peculiar difficulty, since, aside from men 
and money, everything had either to be created or trans- 
fonned. It was possible to shorten the period of prep- 
aration; unfortunately it was not possible to dispense 
with it." 

"It was the delays of the Young British Armies in 
preparing to take the offensive that permitted the Ger- 
man General Staff to wage a local combat with the 
French Armv at Verdun from February 21 to July 1, 
1916." 

Requin was on duty at the War College all through 
the war and the views of that most capable and experi- 
enced officer undoubtedly were given great weight. 

On April 2, 1917, a memorandum was submitted to 
the Chief of Staff by the Quartermaster General which 
stated : 

"5. It will require four months to complete the 
equipment of the Regular Army and National Guard, 
both at war strength (approximately 500,000 men) 
with regulation articles except tentage. 

"6. To equip another 500,000 men will require five 
months in addition to the preceding four months, pro- 
vided that all the orders for the second 500,000 men 



SUPPLIES DIVISION 187 

could be placed at the same time as the orders for the 
equipment of the first 500,000 men." 

Foreseeing that it was tJie intention to call an addi- 
tional 500,000 men, the Quartermaster General on 
April 3, 1917, received authority to effect the purchases 
for that number, but no instructions to obtain this au- 
thority were given to him. 

On April 16, 1917, in a memorandum by the Quarter- 
master General for the Chief of Staff it was stated: 

"It is understood that the 'other plan' referred to is 
for this Department to be prepared to equip 500,000 
men by the end of July and 500,000 more by the 31st 
of December, with proper uniforms and equipage, or 
to clothe and equip the first 500,000 by the middle of 
June with articles closely approximating standard arti- 
cles and the second 500,000 simUarly by November 1st. 
It will not, in the opinion of this office, be practicable 
to properly clothe and equip this or any other number of 
men more than was provided for in the original plan." 
(S. 477). 

The original plan was the one of March 13, 1917, 
for 1,000,000 men, and the statement above made that 
it was not practicable to provide for more than that 
number was added because in March 89,000 men of the 
I^ational Guard had been called to the colors when the 
Quartermaster Corps had been notified that only 63,000 
men would be called. This additional 26,000 men were 
provided for, however, but it is quite manifest that these 
additional calls could not be continued without seriously 
interfering with the original plan. 



188 THE QUARTERMASTEK CORPS 

On April 18, 1917, in reply to a further inquiry a 
memorandum by the Quartermaster General for the 
Chief of Staff stated : 

"1. Attention is invited to the remarks contained in 
memorandum from the Quartermaster General, under 
date of April 16, having reference to equipping Na- 
tional Guard Coast Artillery. 

"2. As stated in the memorandum referred to, it 
will not be practicable to properly clothe and equip 
within the time previously allotted this or any other 
number of men more than that which was provided for 
in the original plan." (S. 478.) 

The Adjutant General, by direction of the Secretary 
of War, addressed the following letter to the Quarter- 
master General on April 18, 1917: — 

"It is desired that you furnish this office at the earli- 
est practicable date the following information : 

"(a) Is the Quartermaster Corps able to clothe, 
supply and maintain all organizations of the Regular 
Army and ISTational Guard now in the service of the 
United States at minimum strength ? 

"(b) How many men in addition can it clothe, 
equip and maintain from the following dates ? 

"April 20, 1917; May 20, 1917; June 20, 1917; 
July 20, 1917; Aug. 20, 1917; Sept. 20, 1917; Is^ov. 
20, 1917; Dec. 20, 1917." 

To which the following reply was made on April 19, 
1917; by the Quartermaster General: 

"1. With reference to paragraph (a) the question 
can be answered in the affirmative. 



SUPPLIES DIVISIO]^ 189 

"2. With reference to paragraph (b) the question 
would depend on where the men are to be mobilized for 
which the supplies are required. 

"3. During the month of March orders were placed 
for the delivery of clothing and equipage up to July 
31st, in sufficient quantities, except tentage, to equip an 
army of 500,000 men, including the N^ational Guard 
and Regulars now in the service. These supplies are 
coming in daily and the Regular Army and I^ational 
Guard so far called have been taken care of and are 
provided for, and sufficient supplies will be coming in 
to take care of 25,000 additional men in April, 50,000 
in May, 75,000 in June and 100,000 in July, but it 
must be borne in mind that these supplies are being 
received from various factories scattered from the At- 
lantic to the Pacific coast, the bulk coming from the 
Eastern States. 

"4. Early in April, orders were placed for clothing 
and equipage for an additional 500,000 men for de- 
livery up to December 31st, and assuming that the first 
500,000 men are equipped by the end of July, the De- 
partment will be able to clothe and equip 100,000 men 
Uionthly thereafter, with the exception of tentage. 

"5. Much time will be consumed, even after the 
supplies are delivered in transporting them to the places 
where the troops will require them; especially is this 
true if they are mobilized at points distant from the 
factories. Attention is invited to the fact that to take 
care of a gi'eat number of troops at once, the demands 
on depots should be divided among the various supply 
depots which are now being stocked up to take care of 
certain territorial limits." 

At the time the above report was made no decision 
had been arrived at as to the location of the mobiliza- 



190 THE QUARTEKMASTER CORPS 

tion points ; the decision to put the men in cantonments 
was not reached until some time in May, 1917, and then 
the sites had to be selected. Information as to their 
location was to be furnished on June 10th, but at that 
date several had not yet been determined. The loca- 
tion of the cantonments had to be decided before ar- 
rangements to organize the depots to supply them could 
be arranged. 

The information as to the number of men which could 
be clothed and equipped by the Quartermaster Corps and 
the time required to accomplish it was furnished upon 
memorandum from the Chief of Staff and to the Adju- 
tant General. This is mentioned to indicate that all 
the sources from which orders might possibly be origi- 
nated had been fully appraised concerning these matters. 
It was generally understood early in May, 1917, that 
decision to make an early call of the drafted men had 
been made in order to begin their training. On May 
19, 1917, the Cantonment Division of the Office of the 
Quartermaster General was established by direction of 
the Secretary of War in order to insure the completion 
of the cantonments by September 1st. The information 
called for by the Adjutant General, by direction of the 
Secretary of War, on April 18, 1917, above referred 
to, was communicated on April 18, 1917, confidentially 
to the Western Department, thus showing that the 
capability of the Quartermaster Corps to meet the situa- 
tion was fully recognized. In view of all these facts, 
the Adjutant General on May 22, 1917, sent the fol- 



SUPPLIES DIVISION 191 

lowing comnmnication to all Department commanders 
in the United States : 

"Subject: Program for organizing the Regular Army, 
National Guard and National Army. 

"1. There is enclosed herewith for your informa- 
tion a copy of an approved program for organizing the 
Regular Army, National Guard and National Army. 

"2. The Chief of each Supply Bureau will be in- 
structed to take prompt steps to meet the demands upon 
his Department in carrying out this program so that 
there will be no chance of failure in providing the 
absolute essentials, namely, food, water, clothing, 
shelter, blankets and bedding of some sort (regulation 
if practicable) and a rifle for each man; other equip- 
ment and supplies to be furnished as rapidly as the 
resources for the Nation permit. 

"3. The Quartermaster General will be directed to 
issue at once to recruits at depots all available shoes of 
obsolete pattern and khaki uniforms, the latter at one- 
third of cost prices," 

(Note. — The Tcliahi uniform referred to was the old 
uniform which was abandoned several years before 
when the new uniform of olive drab color, generally 
known as the "O. D." was adopted. A large stock of 
this khaki uniform was on hand when the new uniform 
was adopted in its place. Effort was made, unsuc- 
cessfully, to utilize it in various ways and quantities of 
it had been sold at public auction ; the latter action 
having been severely criticized in Congress and the 
War Department characterized as extravagant in its 
many changes in uniform and equipment which ren- 
dered the old patterns obsolete. This was possibly one 



192 THE QTJAETERMASTEK CORPS 

of the cogent reasons which influenced Congress in de- 
clining to make appropriations to provide for a reserve 
stock of cloth and uniforms. It is necessary to mention 
this as commonly the term 'khaki was applied to the new 
olive drab uniforms ("O. D."). The terai khaki in the 
order refers to the obsolete and abandoned uniforms.) 

Continuing the communication of May 22nd read : 

"4. ISTon-essentials should not be permitted to delay 
the prime necessity of putting a large army into train- 
ing while the weather is suitable for outdoor work, 
drills and target practice. Even the lack of uniforms 
for a week or two should not delay organization. After 
organization of the forces has been completed, discipline 
established and physical training assured, technical 
training will go forward rapidly as the necessary equip- 
ment is supplied. 

By Order of the Secretary of War." 

1^0 further instructions about the steps to be taken 
to meet the demands upon the Quartermaster Corps 
were received. From paragraph 4 of this communica- 
tion the idea of drilling the men in their civilian clothes, 
as has previously been shown had been the English prac- 
tice, is evident; but this purpose was practically made 
impossible by the instructions sent to the draft men, 
from the Provost Marshal General's Office, to take only 
a very limited supply of civilian clothes to the camps; 
as it was stated the men would be obliged to send such 
clothes to their homes upon joining the camps. The 
Quartermaster General's Office was not informed of 
these instructions, and they were not known of until 



SUPPLIES DIVISIOIT 193 

months later when a copy of an order to drafted men 
was seen in a small local paper. 

On January 28, 1918, the Secretary of War before 
the Committee on Military Affairs of the Senate replied 
to the question : 

"Was there, Mr. Secretary, an order or a warning, or 
suggestion sent out to troops coming to camp that they 
should bring but little clothing with them ?" 

To which the Secretary replied : 

"I think there was, Senator, a suggestion sent out 
that they bring very little clothing, and when they got 
there they were directed to go into uniform and send 
their private clothing home." (S. 1,959.) 

In October, anticipating a temporary shortage of 
winter underwear because of the failure to obtain the 
supply through the Committee on Supplies as previous- 
ly shown, request was made upon the Provost Marshal 
General that instructions be sent the drafted men to take 
sufficient clothing, and at least two suits of winter under- 
clothing to the camps. No information as to the action 
taki?n on this request was received at the Office of the 
Quartermaster General. 

The enclosure referred to in the above communica- 
tion of May 22, 1917, was in part, as follows: 

"Subject: Policy of the War Department relative 
to increasing the Regular Army, calling 
the l^ational Guard into Federal Service, 
and calling out 500,000 men for the l^a- 
tional Army. 



194 THE QUAKTERMASTEE COEPS 

"1. Regular Army. The Eegiilar Army will be in- 
creased by the addition of four remaining increments 
and raised to maximum (war) strength during the 
months of May and June. 

"July 15 : Draft in Federal Service one-third of the 
N^ational Guard not already in service; 

"July 25 : Draft into Federal Service the second one- 
third of the National Guard; 

"August 5 : Draft into Federal Service the remain- 
ing one-third of the National Guard." 

"National Guard organizations will be assembled in 
three groups and sent to Departments as indicated be- 
low, on the dates given: 

August 1, 1917 

August 15, 1917 

September 1, 1917 

"All units of the National Guard not now in the 
Federal Sei'vice and all that are in the Federal Service 
will be recruited to maximum strength at once, and the 
needed arms, equipment and clothing for full strength 
will be issued as soon as practicable." 

"All coast artillery organizations of the National 
Guard will be drafted into the service on the earliest 
date, namely, about July 15th with the first group." 

It will be observed that the foregoing instructions 
concerning the National Guard Coast Artillery entirely 
disregard the information given by the Quartermaster 
General's Office as to the possibility of clothing and 
equipping those troops and are at variance with the 



SUPPLIES DIVISION 195 

statement made by the Adjutant General to the Com- 
manding General, Western Department in letter of 
April 27, 1917, which stated: "I am directed bj the 
Secretary of War to inform you confidentially that 
these I^ational Guard troops cannot be called out at 
the present time unless immediate requirements make it 
necessary, in view of the following conditions as re- 
ported by the Quartennaster General." Then follow 
the statement of conditions made on April 19, 1917. It 
will be noted that no report as to the amelioration of 
those conditions had been made by the Quartermaster 
General in the time intervening between April 19th and 
May 22, 1917, the date on which this order was made. 
Consequently the order was made in disregard of the 
conditions as reported. 

The enclosure to the communication of the Adjutant 
General of May 22, 1917, continues as follows: 

"3. The National Army. The first 500,000 men of 
the National forces will be called to the colors Sep- 
tember 1, 1917, and put under training at once in their 
division cantonments. This force will be supplied with 
woolen uniforms, which will be available in sufficient 
quantities." 

A table entitled "Program for Organizing the Regu- 
lar Army, National Guard and National Army" ac- 
companying the foregoing shows as follows : 

1. That the regular Army was to be raised during 
May and June at designated Army posts and provided 
with cotton uniforms (including all available stock of 



196 THE QUAETEEMASTER COEPS 

khaki) and woolen uniforms were to be supplied by 
Nov. 1, 1917. 

2. The IN^ational Guard was to be raised July 15th 
to August 5th and after 15 days to go to division can- 
tonments in the South; they were to be supplied with 
cotton uniforms and with woolen uniforais by Novem- 
ber 1, 1917. 

3. The ISTational Army was to be raised September 
1, 1917, at its divisional cantonments and were to be 
equipped with Enfield and Krag rifles (Krag rifles to 
be used only until they can be replaced), blanket rolls 
and haversacks (to be replaced by 1910 equipment as 
soon as practicable), horse equipment and artillery ma- 
terial after equipping Eegular Army and National 
Guard, woolen uniforms, commercial articles will be 
substituted where necessary for such regulation articles 
as cannot be procured. 

At the end of this table was the following : 

"Note. — The officers' training camps will end August 
15, 1917. Ofiicers of each division then proceed to 
division cantonments, where the enrolled men report 
September 1, 1917. Each man to be equipped at once 
with uniform and rifle. Other equipment to be sup- 
plied. 

"Execution of third program ivould he delayed by 
the diversion of equipment or supplies to meet any un- 
foreseen demands." 

The foregoing sentence was not in italics in the 
original. 

The order calling the National Anny to the colors 



SUPPLIES DIVISION 197 

by September 1st disregarded the information, as to 
the time when the men could be clothed and equipped, 
given by the Quartermaster General on March 13, 
March 21, April 2, April 16, April 18 and April 19, 
all of which have been previously quoted; and in them 
it was constantly stated that the men could not be cloth- 
ed and equipped before December 31st with proper uni- 
forms and equipment and that one hundred thousand 
men could be provided for each month after July, 
thus completing the 500,000 hy December 31st, or by 
November 1st at the earliest by using articles closely ap- 
proximating standard articles. 

It will be obserA^ed, however, that the order of May 
22, 1917, states that "even the lack of uniforms for a 
week or two should not delay organization." And the 
note quoted above would seem to indicate that the period 
might be prolonged and that the prime necessity was 
to drill the men, as is fully explained in the Secretary 
of War's statement before the Committee on Military 
Affairs of the Senate, above quoted. 

ADDITIONAL, TROOPS 

Sections 2 and 3 of the Act of Congress approved 
May 18, 1917, authorized the organization of special 
and technical units in the Army during the war. On 
January 28, 1918, the Secretary of War made the fol- 
lowing statement to the Committee on Military Affairs 
of the Senate: (S. 1,980.) 

"Early in this war when Joffre was here and when 



198 THE QUAETEEMASTEK COEPS 

Balfour was here, they said to us, 'It may take you some 
time to get over to us a great fighting array, but you 
are a great industrial country. Our man power is fully 
engaged in our industries and in our military enter- 
prises; send over artisans, special engineering regi- 
ments and troops of a technical character,' and, although 
it was not contemplated at the outset, and only a phrase 
in the emergency military legislation shows that the 
thing was thought of as a possibility, yet in a very 
short time we had organized engineering regiments of 
railroad men and sent them over there and were re- 
building behind the lines of the British and French 
the railroads which were being carried forward with 
their advance, reconstructing their broken engines and 
cars, building new railroads, both back of the French 
and British lines and those regiments were of such 
quality that at the Cambrai assault carried on by Gen- 
eral Byng, when the Germans made their counter at- 
tack, our engineer regiments threw down their picks 
and spades and carried their rifles into the battle and 
distinguished themselves by gallant action in the war 
itself. 

"Very early in this war Great Britain, through Bal- 
four and his assistants, and France, through Joffre, 
said to us, 'Send us nurses and doctors.' Why, before 
we were scarcely in the war American units, organized 
in advance and anticipation by the Eed Cross, which 
was taken over into the sei-vice of the United States 
through the Surgeon General's office, were on the bat- 
tlefield, and there are tens of thousands of men in 
England and France now who bless the mission of 
mercy upon which the first Americans appeared in 
France. . . . But that was not enough. It was sug- 
gested that further gToups of mechanics might be 
needed." 



SUPPLIES DIVISION 199 

These men, as stated above, were not considered when 
the plan for the organization of the Army was made 
and the Quartermaster General was asked when the 
Army could be supplied. They were in addition and 
the clothing and equipment of the men naturally affect- 
ed the problem of supply; as did likewise the estab- 
lishment of the officers training camps, the students at 
which had to be provided with uniforms and clothing; 
also the calling to the colors of 26,000 additional Na- 
tional Guardsmen in April in excess of the number 
which the Corps stated could be provided ; and also the 
calling in June of the National Guard from thirteen 
states in addition to the number which had been stated 
could be provided. At a conference with the Secretary 
of War and General Bliss the Acting Chief of Staff, 
the Quartermaster General indicated the difficulty this 
imposed upon the Corps and how it affected the pos- 
sibility of providing the supplies required for the Na- 
tional Army by September 1st. The Acting Chief of 
Staff stated his inability to see how that problem was 
affected by calling to the colors the additional men. 

After the above conference the following memoran- 
dum was sent to the Chief of the Supplies Division Of- 
fice Quartermaster General: 

July 15, 1917. 
"In view of the large number of technical troops 
which have been called into the service, also the large 
number of medical officers who have bought clothing 
and the number of students at the camps which we have 
supplied, and in view of the fact that the National 



200 THE QUAETEEMASTEE COEPS 

Guard is to be mustered into the service on the 5th of 
August, will there be sufScient supplies on hand on 
September 1st to equip the National Army ?" 

To which reply was made on July 18th, enclosing a 
"Statement showing the Status of the Principal Articles 
of Clothing" and closing with the following sentence: 

"If the National Army is called out September 1st, a 
portion of the force will have to remain in citizens' 
clothes. It is therefore recommended that the as- 
sembling of the National Army be postponed until 
October 1st." 

This was approved by the Quartermaster General and 
forwarded to the Acting Chief of Staff on July 19, 
1917. On July 20th the Acting Chief of Staff directed 
the Quartermaster General to report the designation 
and number of enlisted men comprised in any special 
units that had been raised and uniformed for the Army 
and that were not counted by him at the time that he 
estimated that clothing would be on hand for the first 
500,000 drafted men by September 1, 1917. 

It will be noted from estimates furnished by the 
Quartermaster General and given above verbatim that 
that officer had never stated that clothing would be on 
hand for the first 500,000 drafted men by September 
1, 1917. The time stated by the Quartermaster Gen- 
eral was always December 31, 1917; and further it 
will be noted from the Secretary of War's statement 
that these special or technical troops had not been con- 
sidered. The Quartermaster General on July 21, 
1917, sent the following memorandum in reply: 



SUPPLIES DIVISIOK 201 

"1. Eeferring to memorandum dated July 20tli, 
there is submitted the following list showing the en- 
listed men comprising the special units that have been 
raised and uniformed that were not originally estimated 
for: i. e. — 

Training camps 40,000 

Nine railway regiments, engineers 10,000 

One forestry regiment, engineers 1,167 

Six months' reserve for 10 engineer regiments 11,670 

Aviation schools 1,460 

Five telegraph battalions, E. R. C 1,045 

Thirteen base hospitals 1,796 

Ambulance corps 4,000 

Field hospitals and ambulance companies (64 each about 

60% complete) 11,700 

Ordnance, E. R. C 333 

Quartermaster E. R. C 2,500 

Six months' reserve for first and second convoys 25,000 

Six months' reserve for marines 3,800 

Total 114,471 

"2. In addition to the foregoing it has been neces- 
sary to provide a considerable quantity of clothing for 
the equipment of reserve officers, especially those or- 
dered for duty with troops abroad. 

"3. Attention in this connection is invited to state- 
ment made verbally in an interview with General Bliss, 
General Smith and the undersigned on April 2, 1917, 
wherein it was stated that: 'Considering the stock on 
hand and orders so far placed, the equipment of the 
first 500,000 men (Regular Army and ISTational Guard) 
could be completed by July 31, and that if orders were 
placed at once for supplies for an additional 500,000 
men, they could be equipped within five months from 
that date.' 

"4. On April 16, 1917, in a memorandum of the 
General Staff it was state"d : 

'It will not be practicable to properly clothe and equip 



202 THE QUARTERMASTEK CORPS 

within the time previously allotted, this or any other number 
of men more than that provided for in the original plan.' 

"5. In an indorsement of the Adjutant General, 
dated April 19, 1917, the following statement was 
made: 

'Early in April, orders were placed for clothing and equipage 
for an additional 500,000 men for delivery up to December 31, 
and assuming that the first 500,000 men are equipped by the 
end of July, the Department will be able to clothe and equip 
100,000 men monthly thereafter, with the exception of tentage.' 

HENRY G. SHARPE, 

Quartermaster General. 

It should be added that 26,000 students were 
equipped in the second training camps, so that the total 
of the additional men was 140,471. 

The statements made in paragraphs 3, 4 and 5 of the 
above memorandum were to correct the erroneous im- 
pression of the Acting Chief of Staff as to the date 
which the Quartermaster General stated the troops 
could be clothed. 

The Quartermaster Corps was informed that the men 
would be called in September as already provided for in 
the orders, and the call would not be postponed until 
October 1st as recommended by the Quartermaster Gen- 
eral on July 19, 1917. 

Information was received to the effect that the first 
call for drafted men would be made for 687,000 men 
instead of 500,000 stated by the Adjutant General in 
the orders of May 22, 1917, issued by direction of the 
Secretary of War. The original order calling the men 
having stated that they would be drilled for a week or 



SUPPLIES DIVISION 203 

two in civilian clothes, and the note to that order stat- 
ing in effect that that time might be prolonged ; and the 
Quartermaster General on July 19th, having stated that 
if called by September 1st a portion of the force vpould 
have to remain in civilian clothing, and as this w&s in 
accord with the statement of the Secretary of War of 
the necessity of putting the men in camp so as to train 
them, it is clear that such was the understanding. 

It had been stated that the 687,000 men would all 
be called in September and effort was made to have the 
call divided, so that the men would not all arrive at 
the cantonments at the same time, because of the impos- 
sibility of supplying such a large number of new men 
at one time. At a conference with the Acting Chief of 
Staff and a member of the Equipment Committee of 
the War College Division of the General Staff, the sug- 
gestion to call 187,000 men September 1st; 100,000 
September 15th; 175,000 on October 15th; and 225,000 
on November 15th was concurred in by the Quartermas- 
ter General for the above reasons. 

It was found, however, that the movements as above 
suggested would conflict with those of the National 
Guard to their cantonments, and also with the move- 
ments of troops to the Ports of Embarkation. This was 
stated to the Acting Chief of Staff, and the representa- 
tive in the Quartennaster General's Office of the Ameri- 
can Railway Association entertaining the same views, 
a conference was arranged with a Committee of the 
General Staff, a representative of the War College, one 
from the American Railway Association and one from 



204 THE QUARTERMASTER CORPS 

the Transportation Division Office Quartermaster Gen- 
eral. The following proposition was submitted in order 
to coordinate the movements and was approved: Five 
per cent, of the ISTational Army to move, beginning 
September 5th, and moving one per cent, each day for 5 
days ; forty per cent, of the l^ational Army to move, be- 
ginning September 19th, and to be completed as rapidly 
as possible; forty per cent, of the I^ational Army to 
move, beginning October 3rd, and to be completed as 
rapidly as possible; fifteen per cent, of the N^ational 
Army remainder, beginning October 17th and to be 
completed as rapidly as possible. This plan was later 
modified so that the men were moved as follows : Sep- 
tember 5th, 32,564; September 19th, 274,181; October 
3rd, 172,094; October 27th, 24,594; ISTovember 2nd, 
24,389 ; E'ovember 19th, 12,641 ; December 5th, 2,405 ; 
and the remainder 144,132 were not moved until Feb- 
ruary 15th, 1918, due to shortages of uniform clothing 
caused by sending troops to France, and by ordering the 
men to the camps in advance of the time, December 31, 
1917, by which it had repeatedly been stated that they 
could be supplied. A delay of over two months and a 
half was necessary in order to accumulate the clothing 
to equip the balance of the draft; thus indicating the 
correctness of the recommendations of the Quarter- 
master General to delay the calling of the drafted men. 
By December 5, 1917, there were 542,868 men in 
the camps, and the original plan was to provide for 
500,000 men by December 31, 1917. As most posi- 
tive orders prohibited the giving of information regard- 



SUPPLIES DIVISION" 205 

ing the number of men in the camps, these figures could 
not be stated at the investigation conducted by the Com- 
mittee on Military Affairs of the Senate. 

When the plan for raising the Army was under 
discussion in April, 1917 there was no intention of 
sending troops to France until early in 1918. It was 
generally understood that the first part this country 
was to play in the war was to provide money and sup- 
plies for the allies, and there was deep mortification that 
so humiliating a role had been assigned the country as 
its part in the world's drama. The year 1917 was to 
be devoted to organizing, eqipping and training the 
troops and the memorandum of the War College Divis- 
ion of the General Staff, approved September 11, 1917, 
previously referred, provided for thirty divisions in 
France in 1918 and sixty divisions in 1919, indicating 
that our supreme effort was to be made in that year. 

Shortly after the arrival in this country of Marshal 
Joffre in May, 1917, decision was made to send a divi- 
sion of the Regular Army to France for the inspiration 
and encouragement its presence there would impart to 
the allied peoples and their ai*mies ; and soon the stir- 
ring notes and the encouraging words that "The Boys 
are Coming" were resounding "everywhere." 

A division of Regular troops was organized and dis- 
patched and arrived in France on June 26, 1917. The 
orders for the shipment of troops to France required 
that each man should have in his possession two com- 
plete suits of woolen uniforms, one overcoat, three suits 
of woolen undei*wear, five pairs heavy wool socks, and 



206 THE QUARTEKMASTER CORPS 

two pairs of shoes; it was also provided that a six 
months' reserve of clothing and equipment should be 
forwarded with the troops. Shortly after the dispatch 
of the first division, information was given of the inten- 
tion to dispatch a second division composed of Regular 
Army and Marine Corps troops. This division was 
similarly supplied with clothing and its six months' 
reserve also forwarded. That division arrived in 
France in August, 1917. Shipments of the woolen uni- 
forms abroad reduced the number which were expected 
to be available later for issue to troops called to the 
colors in this country, and the Acting Chief of Staff 
gave instructions on August 1, 1917, that cotton uni- 
forms would be worn so far as possible until l^ovember 
1st by troops in the United States. 

The Chief of Staff returned from the Mission to Rus- 
sia about the middle of August, 1917. Some few days 
thereafter the Assistant Chief of Staff came to the of- 
fice of the Quartermaster General and inquired con- 
cerning the supply of uniform clothing, to ascertain if 
it was adequate to meet the schedule for shipping troops 
abroad. The Quartermaster General inquired if a 
schedule had been adopted and, upon being informed 
that one had been adopted, remarked that it would seem 
proper to first ascertain if the Supply Departments were 
able to provide the necessary supplies to meet it. As 
a result of this information, the following memorandum 
was sent to the Chief of Staff on August 31, 1917 : 

"1. It is requested that this office be informed 
whether or not it is desired that sufficient quantity of 



I 



SUPPLIES DIVISIOIT 207 

woolen uniforms and underwear be reserved each 
month to equip a certain number of troops for over- 
seas duty, or whether these articles should be issued as 
required to the National Army and other troops located 
in the northern posts. 

"2. An early decision is requested as the issue of 
woolen clothing to the National Army is being held 
up pending a decision." 

HENEY G. SHAEPE, 

Quartermaster General. (S. 503.) 

Information was given that the shipment of troops 
abroad would be continued and supplied in the same 
manner as the first two divisions had been. Troops sent 
abroad should undoubtedly be given precedence in mat- 
ters of supply, for when necessary the call for troops 
in this country could easily be deferred. Upon insist- 
ence that information of any contemplated movement of 
troops abroad should be communicated to the Quarter- 
master General at the earliest possible moment, it was 
finally agreed that the information would be communi- 
cated to him personally and verbally by a designated 
officer of the General Staff. Captain J. P. Aleshire on 
duty in the office was designated to receive the informa- 
tion as to the dispatch of troops abroad and to com- 
municate it to such Chiefs of Divisions and Branches 
of the Office as would have to be informed in order to 
arrange for the supplies. 

The orders requiring that the men sent abroad should 
be equipped with two suits of woolen uniforms and the 
other clothing and equipment before mentioned, fre- 
quent applications were received by the Quartermasters 



208 THE QUARTERMASTER (jORPS 

to obtain the necessary supplies for various organiza- 
tions and, in consequence, the following memorandum 
was sent to the Chief of Staff on September 11, 191Y: 
(S. 505.) 

"It is recommended that a Board be appointed for 
the purpose of determining priority in the equipment of 
troops for overseas duty. The Assistant Chief of Staff 
recently furnished this office confidential information as 
to the number of troops that would have to be equipped 
each month for the next three months. Already for the 
month of September a larger number of troops have 
been fitted out than we understood were to go. Not- 
withstanding this fact there is scarcely a day that 
requisition or request has not come in for the outfitting 
of some organization or technical troops for overseas 
duty not previously contemplated." 

HENRY G. SHARPE, 
Quartermaster General. 

Knowing the necessity of technical troops in France, 
in order to assist in the preparations for all the arrange- 
ments to be made there, it was quite natural that the 
Bureau Chiefs charged with the execution of these plans 
should exert themselves to secure the prompt expedition 
of such troops, but if more troops were equipped than 
could be shipped to France at a given time, as happened, 
it caused a still further reduction of the available sup- 
ply of woolen unifonns and clothing. 

Requisitions were received from France in the early 
part of September, evidently based on General Per- 
shing's project of July 11, 1917, information concern- 



SUPPLIES DIVISION 209 

ing which had never been received at the Office of the 
Quartermaster General. These requisitions called for 
very large quantities of supplies, and the matter was 
referred to the Chief of Staff in a memorandum dated 
September 8, 1917, as follows: 

"1. Transmitted herewith are extracts of cable- 
grams from General Pershing calling for initial and 
monthly shipments of clothing for each 25,000 men. A 
table prepared in this office (omitted here) is also 
submitted herewith showing a comparison between the 
quantities called for by General Pershing and the quan- 
tities previously shipped as six months' reserve for the 
first expedition of approximately 25,000 men. An ex- 
amination of this table shows that enormous quantities 
are being called for, which, in the opinion of this office, 
will be required, due to the nature of the service the 
troops will perform. 

"2. Attention is invited to the next to the last 
sentence of sub-paragraph 2 (omitted) wherein General 
Pershing asks that the clothing listed in paragraph 
2,752, Quartermaster Corps Manual, be shipped 
monthly for each 25,000 men. The paragraph quoted 
shows what is a proper four months' allowance for ap- 
proximately 25,000 men. This table is based on actual 
issues on the Mexican border. General Pershing's call 
for this same quantity each month is practically four 
times as large. If the supplies called for are furnished, 
it will seriously interfere with the supply of wool cloth- 
ing to troops in this country, who also need this 
clothing. 

"3. The estimates for the present year, when sub- 
mitted, were thought to be made on a very liberal basis 
and would have provided a reserve of clothing for nearly 



210 THE QUAKTEEMASTER CORPS 

nine months, with the upkeep figured in accordance 
with our past experience; but from this cablegram of 
General Pershing's it is very evident that the estimate 
will have to be very largely increased over the amount 
which was thought necessary at the time the estimates 
were submitted. 

"4c. Instructions of the Chief of Staff are requested 
as to whether these supplies shall be furnished in the 
quantities called for." 

HENRY G. SHARPE, 

Qtlartermaster General. (S. 503.) 

Under date of September 18, 1917, the following 
reply was received from the Adjutant General : 

"To the Quartermaster General : 
"With the infonnation that 

"1. The Secretary of War approves the request for 
clothing contained in cablegi*am from the Commanding 
General of the Expeditionary Forces in France, No. 
136 (W. C. D. 9,265-36), paragTaph 8, sub-paragraphs 
2 and 3, and directs that shipment be made in accord- 
ance therewith as soon as this can be done without de- 
priving troops in this country of necessary clothing. 

"2. Until that time six months' reserve of clothing 
will be shipped with each expedition as in the past, in 
accordance with the enclosed table (omitted) prepared 
in your office. 

"3. The subject of monthly replacements to France 
has been taken up with the Commanding General of 
the Expeditionary Forces in France by cablegram 
(copy enclosed for your information). (Omitted.) 

"4. You will arrange at once to procure the ad- 
ditional clothing on the basis requested by the Com- 
manding General of the Expeditionary Forces in 
France. 



SUPPLIES DIVISION" 211 

"The attached table, prepared by the War College 
Division of the General Staff, is self-explanatory. Col- 
umn 8 represents the approximate total requirements — 
initial issue (column 5) not included — based on present 
projects for one year. 

"5. A copy of this indorsement and enclosures has 
been furnished the Council of National Defense. 

"By order of the Secretary of War: 

Adjutant General." 

The depletion of the stock of woolen clothing caused 
by the continued shipment of the troops and supplies 
abroad, a memorandum was sent to the Chief of Staff on 
October 9th, 1917, as follows: 

"Attention is invited to the accompanying table 
(omitted) prepared by the Supplies Division, showing 
the supplies available on the first day of each month 
after deducting the upkeep and stores shipped abroad. 

"In this connection, it is desired to state that this 
Department in April was given instructions to prepare 
for 1,078,000 men. The Department stated that it 
would be able to equip the men sufficiently to drill them 
by the 30th of September, but the camps were opened 
on the 1st of September. 

"At that time there was no intention of shipping 
troops abroad this year. Schedules for shipment of 
troops have been prepared and this department has not 
been consulted as to whether the supplies are on hand 
to meet that schedule. 

"The accompanying statement indicates that one of 
two things must be done; first, that shipment of troops 
abroad must be discontinued ; or, second, that the calling 
of the remainder of the draft will have to be deferred 
for at least six weeks. 



212 THE QUARTEEMASTEK CORPS 

"This Department has shipped with all the troops 
going abroad six months' reserve supply of clothing. A 
recent cablegram from General Pershing indicated that 
they have practically no supplies on hand. This is un- 
doubtedly due to the increased requirements owing to 
the arduous training the men are receiving. General 
Pershing's call for stores are in quantities which in the 
ordinary basis of our calculations would amount to a 
four years' supply in one, and, furthermore, the char- 
acter of the clothing is all wool. 

"It is requested that this office be informed as to 
what is done about the discontinuance of shipping of 
troops abroad or the postponement of the calling of the 
drafted men." 

HENRY G. SHARPS, 

Quartermaster General. (S. 509.) 

Receiving no reply to the above request for decision 
in a most important matter, a memorandum was sent 
to the Chief of Staff on October 13, 1917, as follows: 

"Referring to my memorandum of October 9th, trans- 
mitting a table prepared by the Supplies Division show- 
ing the supplies available on the first of each month 
after deducting the upkeep and the stores shipped 
abroad, I am attaching hereto an additional table show- 
ing the available balances of clothing on December 1st. 

"Prompt decision on my previous memorandum is 
urged." 

HENRY G. SHARPE, 

Quartermaster General. (S. 509-10.) 

"P. S. — Copy of memorandum of October 9 attached 
for ready reference." 

A cablegram was received from General Pershing 



SUPPLIES DIVISION 213 

giving the clotliing on hand on October 1st, and stating 
that the clothing situation was critical; this undoubt- 
edly due to the inability of filling his requisitions of 
September, above referred to; memorandum was sent 
to the Chief of Staff on October 18, 1917, stating in 
part as follows : 

"1. . . . Attention is invited to memorandum of 
this office of August 25, 1917 (Q. M. G. O. 111.03-C.E. 
Genl. 1918), in which it was shown that the shortage of 
clothing was due to three causes, as follows : 

"First: That arrangements were made to call the 
N'ational Army before the date this Department stated 
they could equip them. 

"Second : That shipment of troops abroad was made 
a year before it was the intention to begin such ship- 
ments, when the problem of supplying the troops was 
given to this Department. 

"Third: That various special units not included in 
the number originally estimated for were shipped 
abroad. 

"These are the facts and no doubt the military situa- 
tion demanded this, but according to the above cable- 
gram from General Pershing, the clothing situation is 
becoming critical on the other side, and the inability to 
provide clothing in case any further troops are called 
into the service in this country still further complicates 
the problem. 

"2. On October 12th, a confidential letter was ad- 
dressed to this office by the Adjutant General, giving 
the priority of the supply of woolen clothing to the 
various units to be shipped abroad and indicating the 
order in which these troops were to be equipped, and it 
was presumed that they were to be sent abroad in the 



214 THE QUAETEKMASTEK COKPS 

same order. This provides, first, for a large number 
of aero squadrons and then for another division of 
troops, and reference is made to this letter in this con- 
nection because if additional troops are sent abroad, 
with the reserve which must be given them, it will 
further complicate the clothing situation here, on ac- 
count of making greater shortages. 

"In repeated cablegrams General Pershing has urged 
the necessity of sending labor troops over in order to 
enable him to make proper provision for handling the 
supply of troops which he already has there. In the 
letter of October 12th, above referred to, so far as the 
Quartermaster's Department is concerned, many of 
these labor troops are to be shipped last. 

"3. If it is not deemed advisable to discontinue the 
shipment of troops abroad, the necessity of providing 
adequate clothing for the upkeep of the troops already 
abroad is imperative, and authority to make shipments 
for that purpose in preference to any other demands is 
requested." 

HENEY G. SHAEPE, 

Quartermaster General. (S. 514.) 

The above paper was returned by first endorsement 
from Adjutant General's Office under date of October 
23, 1917, as follows: 

"To the Quartermaster General: 

"With the information that the decision of the Presi- 
dent to begin sending troops abroad at an earlier date 
than had been anticipated by him and to call the incre- 
ments of the National Army at an earlier date than he 
had recommended, has called upon his department to 
put forth very strenuous efforts, which efforts, however. 



SUPPLIES DIVISION 215 

have 80 far fairly well met the needs from day to day, 
and the Secretary is convinced that this same energy 
will meet all further calls made upon his Department; 
that while the supply situation is so critical, supplies 
will continue to be distributed in such manner that no 
one will suffer, that troops designated for overseas serv- 
ice must be first equipped according to approved sched- 
ule of priority in equipment board ; that General Persh- 
ing's needs must be taken care of, but a large reserve 
will not be created in France at the expense of the men 
we now have under arms and who must be made com- 
fortable ; that as soon as the supply situation will allow 
the following priority list will govern — General Persh- 
ing's needs ahead of all others, with troops soon to join 
him, second ; National Army divisions in northern can- 
tonments, third ; other troops in northern places, fourth ; 
National Army troops at southern camps, fifth; and 
other troops in southern camps last; that the supply 
situation will be kept in mind, when further increments 
of the draft are under consideration." 

By order of the Secretary of War, 
Adjutant General. (S. 515.) 

As a result of the three memoranda above, the calls 
for the draft were delayed to some extent but not 
discontinued entirely for at least six weeks, as had 
been recommended by the Quartermaster General. ' By 
December 5th, there were 542,868 men in the National 
Army cantonments, or about 80 per cent, of the draft 
of 687,000 men as made. It must be remembered, how- 
ever, that according to the order of the Adjutant Gen- 
eral, dated May 22, 1917, 500,000 men were to be 
drafted but that the draft actually was for 687,000 



216 THE QUARTEEMASTER CORPS 

men; an excess over tJie original figure of 187,000 men. 
Consequently, on December 5tli there were 42,868 more 
men in the camps than the number stated by the Quar- 
termaster General which could be supplied by December 
31, 191Y. That number, 42,868, does not include the 
special and technical troops sent abroad or the men 
in the officers training camps. 

The following memorandum was sent to the Chief of 
Staff on December 6, 1917: 

"Orders have been issued to depots to complete equip- 
ment for every National Army cantonment after the 
first increment to the draft has been received to provide 
1 hat, 1 overcoat, 1 blouse (olive drab), 1 pair of 
trousers (olive drab), 2 flannel shirts; 2 suits of under- 
wear, 3 pairs woolen socks, 2 pairs of shoes and 1 pair 
of leggins. Shipment of these articles were completed 
by the depots on December 5th, except 157,000 blouses 
(olive drab), which it is estimated will be completed be- 
tween the 15th and 20th of December. It is contem- 
plated that these articles will reach the cantonments 
within two weeks from the date of shipments. There 
would be sufficient olive drab cotton blouses at every 
cantonment to make up the deficiency of the woolen 
garments until the latter arrives." 

HENRY G. SHARPE, 

Quartermaster General. (S. 511.) 

And the following memorandum was sent the Chief 
of Staff on December 13, 1917 : 

"In accordance with instructions of the 11th instant, 
the following is submitted in connection with cablegram 
No. 360, dated December 11, 1917, paragraph 2, sub- 
paragraph B (copy attached) in which it is reported 



SUPPLIES DIVISION 217 

that due to 'the failure of the Quartermaster Depart- 
ment to land supplies of winter clothing there has been 
produced a serious situation.' 

"The orders directing the shipment of troops abroad 
require that each man should be supplied with two com- 
plete suits of woolen uniforms, one overcoat, three suits 
of woolen underwear, five pairs of heavy woolen socks, 
two flannel shirts, two pairs of field shoes, slicker, and 
three blankets, in addition to one hat, one pair of leggins 
and one pair of gloves. 

"Attached hereto is a statement showing all of the 
shipments which have been made to France up to and 
including December 12th." 

The statement is omitted here but will be referred 
to later. It has been previously shown that the 
Embarkation Service was by G. O. 102, War Depart- 
ment July 30, 1917, created in the office of the Chief 
of Staff, for the period of the war, to take charge of the 
embarkation of troops and supplies for transatlantic 
transportation and to exercise under the Secretary of 
War, the direct control incident to that service. Para- 
graph 2 of the order prescribes as follows : 

"2. The function of this section is to coordinate all 
shipments of munitions and supplies of every kind and 
all troop movements whose ultimate destination is 
Europe and to advise and assist the Chief of Staff in 
reference thereto. It will have direct supervision under 
the Chief of Staff of all movements of supplies from 
points of origin to ports of embarkation ; will supervise 
the operations of the latter and will control the employ- 
ment of all Army transports engaged in the transat- 
lantic service and such commercial shipping as may be 



218 THE QUARTERMASTER CORPS 

used to supplement that service. It will arrange with 
the Navy for convoy service." 

The effect of this order was to take from the Quarter- 
master Corps all control of such matters, a condition 
which evidently was not appreciated in France, as was 
shown hj frequent cablegrams asking that the Quarter- 
master General's attention be called to the improper 
loading of ships, or the failure to forward supplies. 
As these matters were entirely removed from his con- 
trol, frequent requests were made that the authorities 
in France be so informed, in order that the Quarter- 
master Corps should not be blamed for matters over 
which it then had no control or supervision. The re- 
petition of these complaints indicated that the requests 
of the Quartermaster General were not complied with. 
The Quartermaster Corps, as well as all other Supply 
Departments, had to procure from the Chief of the 
Embarkation Service a "release" before either men or 
supplies could be forwarded to the ports of embarka- 
tion; after they were so sent there were no means of 
ascertaining whether they had been placed aboard the 
Transports. In order to secure this information the 
Quartermaster General sent a number of officers, with a 
force of clerks, to the Embarkation Ports to keep a 
check on such matters, and to enable the Quartermaster 
Corps to duplicate a shipment in case of the loss of a 
transport, but such men were not allowed to function 
as it was claimed that the matter was confidential and 
under the immediate control and supervision of the 
Chief of Staff. The lack of fairness in permitting the 



SUPPLIES DIVISION" 219 

Quartermaster Corps to be blamed for matters the con- 
trol and supervision of which had been taken from it 
and assumed by others is manifest. 

The memorandum of December 13, 1917, continues, 
as follows: 

"In addition thereto, this office, through the aid of 
Colonel Puckle, of the Army Service Corps of the Brit- 
ish Army, now on duty in this office, has secured the 
consent of the British Government for the sale of 
200,000 uniforms (100,000 made up and the other 
100,000 to be made from cloth to be manufactured). 
General Pershing was notified of this and was informed 
to purchase same, if he approved, which purchase has 
since been undertaken, as has also the purchase of 
200,000 blankets from Spain, made on General Persh- 
ing's request." 

(N'ote: The regulation buttons and ornaments for 
the uniforms already made were sent over, and "cut- 
ters" provided with our standard patterns for uniforms 
were sent to London to cut the 100,000 uniforms from 
the cloth when manufactured.) 

The memorandum still continues : 

"In this connection attention is invited to the fact 
that the troops in this country are only supplied with 
one suit of clothes, three suits of underwear, three pairs 
of woolen stockings, two pairs of shoes, one pair of 
leggins, a hat, a pair of gloves, one coat, one overcoat, 
and two flannel shirts. The troops are not all supplied 
with slickers, and the remainder of the draft has not 
yet been supplied with woolen coats. This is only one 
suit to be worn all the time at severe drills and at 
parades^ which has been required to last them from the 



220 THE QUAKTEKMASTEE COKPS 

time they went into woolen clothes up to the present 
time. In a cable^am from General Pershing, dated 
October 1, a report was made on the clothing situation. 
This office submitted a memorandum under date of Oc- 
tober 18 to the Chief of Staff and stated the exact con- 
dition as to clothing and recommended that 'if it is not 
deemed advisable to discontinue the shipment of troops 
abroad, the necessity of providing adequate clothing for 
the upkeep of troops already abroad is imperative, and 
authority to make shipments for that purpose in prefer- 
ence to any other demands, is requested.' The mem- 
orandum was returned by a first indorsement from the 
Adjutant General's Office under date of October 23 
(given above). The distribution of the available cloth- 
ing has been made by this department in accordance 
with the foregoing instructions. 

'^'It is quite evident that the situation in this country 
is not appreciated abroad nor the efforts which are being 
made to meet the calls for France. It is, therefore, 
recommended that a copy of office memorandum of 
October 18, with the first indorsement of the Adjutant 
General's Office of October 23, together with a copy of 
this memorandum and the accompanying statement, be 
transmitted to General Pershing. Two copies of each 
paper referred to are attached." 

HEI^RY G. SHAEPE, 

Quartermaster General. (S. 513-4.) 

INVESTIGATION BY COMMITTEE ON MILITARY AFFAIRS OF 
THE SENATE 

Explanation was made during the course of the In- 
vestigation that an order had been made by the War De- 
partment at the beginning of the War that nothing 
would be undertaken, and no changes made in any arti- 



SUPPLIES DIVISION 221 

cles, which did not assist in the winning of the war. 
This order was quoted as the reason for disapproving 
the changes in the uniform, as recommended by the 
Quartermaster General, notwithstanding the fact that 
it was clearly shown that such changes would facilitate 
very greatly in enabling the men to be expeditiously 
equipped because of the great reduction in the number 
of the various sizes of garments which would have to 
be produced. In other words, more men could be fitted 
from a tariff of sizes prepared to conform to the changes 
recommended than could be from the tariff of sizes 
made on the old pattern. Instructions were further 
given that only such changes would be considered as 
were recommended by the proper authorities with our 
troops in France. Consequently, report as to the suit- 
ability and adaptability of the uniform in every par- 
ticular was called for, and paragraph 6, cable ISTo. 38, 
from General Pershing gave the character of winter 
clothing necessary. 

This cablegram stated that the present woolen under- 
wear, stockings, flannel shirts, coats, breeches, and field 
shoes were satisfactory; and recommended hip rub- 
ber boots and moccasins for use of men in the trenches. 
It stated that the present woolen gloves were satisfac- 
tory^ if the wristlets were made longer; that the over- 
coats and slickers should be shortened to the knee ; that 
leggins were not satisfactory on account of mud and 
that they should be replaced by spiral puttees; and 
strongly recommended the issue of jerkins. Steps were 
at once taken to provide for the changes recommended. 



222 THE QUAETERMASTER CORPS 

As the coats and breeches were reported to be satis- 
factory, and because of the order referred to, there could 
be no effort made to increase the weight of the cloth. 

During the Senate Investigation the Quartermaster 
General was asked if there had not been a recommenda- 
tion from the chairman of the Wool Manufacturers' 
Committee of the Committee on Supplies, that the 
weight of the cloth should be increased. To which the 
Quartermaster General stated that no such recommenda- 
tion had been made either verbally or in writing to the 
Quartermaster Corps. It was urged, however, with 
considerable insistence that such a recommendation had 
been made, and that it was presented by Colonel John 
P. Wood one of the best wool experts in the country. 

Colonel Wood was called by the Senate Committee 
and on January 7, 1918, testified that he was President 
of the ]!^ational Association of Wool Manufacturers for 
a number of years ; that he had served as chairman of a 
committee requested by the board of directors of the 
American Association, another trade organization, 
which was to represent the industry at large in any rela- 
tions it would have with the Government. 

Colonel Wood was asked the follovtdng questions: 
(S. 1457.) 

"But you were on this committee on woolens which 
practically created the standard of uniforms for soldiers 
here?" 

Colonel Wood: "N^o; we only made certain recom- 
mendations as to change in the content, not as to the 
weight. The weight had already been long established, 



SUPPLIES DIVISIOK 223 

and no question had been raised as far as I know, except 
informally and in conversation with individuals not in 
the Government, individuals who knew about the heav- 
ier weights of cloth used abroad, as to whether it might 
not be found necessary to use heavier cloth if our sol- 
diers wanted it over there." 

Question: "Was that considered by your commit- 
tee?" 

Colonel Wood: "Yes, sir." 

Question: "Did you make any recommendations 
with regard to it ?" 

Colonel Wood: "]^one; because nothing had been 
called for on that subject, and because I think the con- 
viction of the committee generally was that a heavier 
weight was not desirable, and perhaps I can answer, 
having some voice with the committee now, the judg- 
ment today is that the 16-ounce uniform is quite heavy 
enough." 

Colonel Wood was also called before the Committee 
on Military Affairs of the House of Representatives and 
on January 15, 1918, testified as follows: (H. 715.) 

Colonel Wood: "A great deal of the discussion oc- 
curred in the Senate Committee hearing as to the suf- 
ficiency of the weight of the uniform cloth which is now 
sixteen ounces to the yard, and it has been referred to 
by some of the members of the Committee as being en- 
tirely inadequate. 

"I make the statement now that I did before that 
Committee, that until some American experience in 
European service determines the necessity for greater 



224 THE QUAKTEEMASTER CORPS 

weight, I think it would be a very serious mistake to 
increase the weight, and for this reason: the troops 
in the Expeditionary Force are to wear this uniform 
the year round. The sixteen ounce weight is heavier 
than the average weight of civilian winter clothing in 
this country, which is fourteen ounces." 

The question of the use of reworked wools, sometimes 
called shoddy, in the manufacture of clothes, in order 
to conserve the wool supply of the country also came 
before the Committee on Military Affairs of the Senate, 
and quotation from the testimony of Colonel John P. 
Wood at his hearing on January 15, 1918 before the 
Committee on Military Affairs of the House of Repre- 
sentatives is herewith made. (H. 710.) 

Chairman: "As I understand you, from your ex- 
perience as a manufacturer and your actual experience 
in the field, you think the articles supplied, so far 
as keeping the soldiers warm is concerned, are as good 
as are supplied to the soldiers of any country in the 
world?" 

Colonel Wood: "Yes, sir. The uniform — the coat 
and the breeches — has thus far been made of all wool, 
with the exception of some small and emergency pur- 
chases, which were an infinitesimal part of the whole 
quantity. The charge that the uniforms are being reg- 
ularly made otherwise than of all new wool is a 
mistake. 

"There is probably one other thing that I ought to 
state in order to make the whole subject clear. 

"There has been a great deal of discussion by the 



SUPPLIES DIVISION" 225 

manufacturers and the economy board and others about 
the shortage of wool, and opposed to that, other state- 
ments have been made by some persons that there is no 
shortage of wooL 

''Both are right, but because of the difference of the 
statements it probably needs a little clearing up of the 
situation. 

''We have in this country at the present time prob- 
ably as much wool as we ordinarily have. But there 
are two very important qualifications : Of the approxi- 
mately 280,000,000 pounds grown in America in a year, 
which is about one-third of what we are now using, only 
about 35 per cent, of that is of the grades such as are 
necessary for military clothing, and the rest of it is 
much finer fibered wool and while it could be used it 
would be much more costly and not make so sturdy a 
cloth. 

"We rely for the rest of our wool upon importations 
from Australia, JSTew 2e?iland, South America and 
South Africa. Australia, N^ew Zealand, and South 
Africa are under the control of Great Britain entirely, 
and owing to the shortage of ships it has been almost 
impossible to bring any from those colonies to this coun- 
try for nearly a year. A certain amount has been 
brought from South America, but Great Britain's anxi- 
ety, both for herself and her allies, to create a supply 
against a still more serious shortage of shipping and 
competition in South America for the wool of the only 
open or free market, has made it impossible for us to ac- 



226 THE QUAETERMASTER CORPS 

cumulate supplies for the future. The whole question is 
involved in the problem of shipping. 

^' There is a lot of wool in Australia and New Zealand, 
but most of that is also of the fine sort. Great Britain 
has taken almost all of the coarser wools for military 
purposes. The necessity for conservation at the moment 
is because of the very great difficulty, if not impossibil- 
ity, of bringing wools in any large quantity to thig 
country, and while we have enough probably to see us 
through for this year, if the amount brought to the 
country continues to be as little as during the last nine 
months, we will have a famine in wool in 1919, while 
with the shortage of shipping increased by reason of 
destruction or by reason of diversion of still more ves- 
sels to carrying supplies to our troops in Europe, the 
wool situation will become acute even sooner. 

"That is the reason for anticipating and conserv- 
ing the wool now while we have it, rather than waiting 
until the supply is exhausted. It is not a question of 
whether we want to use the cloth in the proportion of 
65 to 35, but it is whether, by adopting that at the be- 
ginning of the war we can continue using that for a 
considerable period of time, or whether we should go on 
using 100 per cent, in all of these articles for 1917, and 
then probably have to use a much greater proportion 
than 35 per cent, of reworked wool. That is why this 
step was taken." 

The above are the reasons so ably and concisely ex- 
pressed by an acknowledged expert which influenced the 
Quartermaster General to adopt the use of reworked 



SUPPLIES DIVISION 227 

wool in the manufacture of cloth for overcoats and in 
the blankets, making use of the clips, the same method 
of conservation as that of using the remainder of a 
Christmas turkey the following day. 

It is interesting to ascertain the practice of the Eng- 
lish as regards the use of reworked wool in manufactur- 
ing cloth. Howard Preistman of Bradford, Eng- 
land, an authority on wool manufacture in the United 
Kingdom, in a paper published in the ''Bulletin of the 
National Association of Woolen and Worsted Manu- 
facturers" for July, 1918, writes as follows: 

"It is probable that the use of shoddy has been an 
even greater cause of controversy in America than it 
has been in England, for in England we have never 
shut our eyes to the fact that we imported 100,000,000 
pounds of rags per year before the war ; that we added 
all our own waste cloth to these, and ground the whole 
down to fiber again. Then, by mixing this short fiber 
with a very large quantity of brain and with very little 
else, the manufacturers of the heavy woolen district 
turned out an immense amount of serviceable cloth at 
an absurdly low price. 

"Probably this was the reason why the authorities did 
not waste much time in establishing a center of their 
own for dealing with the incredible quantity of old 
socks, underclothing, uniforms, and overcoats that so 
early in the war began to pour in from France. At any 
rate, such a warehouse is in existence in Dewsbury, 
and through its efficient management millions of pounds 



228 . THE QUAETERMASTER CORPS 

that otherwise would have been wasted are turned from 
old garments into new." 

SHORTAGES AT CAMPS 

At the hearing before the Committee on Military 
Affairs of the Senate on December 21, 1917, the mat- 
ter of the shortage of clothing at the camps was brought 
up. Explanation was made that the Quartermaster 
Corps stated that a definite number of men could be 
clothed by December 31, 1917; that the men were 
called to the camps in advance of the time at which it 
was stated they could be provided for; that an addi- 
tional number of troops were called that were not in- 
cluded in the original plans; and that the shipment 
of troops to France was commenced many months in 
advance of the time originally planned, and that such 
shipments necessitated furnishing the men with addi- 
tional uniforms and sending to France large reserves, 
thus depleting the stock available to clothe the men 
called to the camps. And further that orders to rush 
the shipments of the clothing to supply the existing 
shortages had been given, and that by the end of two 
weeks all would be provided. The Committee on Mili- 
tary Affairs of the Senate called upon the Secretary of 
War for a report regarding the shortages of woolen 
clothing, this report is given in the following communi- 
cation : 



SUPPLIES DIVISION" 229 

WAR DEPARTMENT 

Washington, January 4, 1918. 

"Hon. Geo. E. Chamberlain, 

"Chairman Committee on Military Affairs, United 
States Senate. 

"My dear Senator: Replying to the communication 
from your committee of December 26, regarding short- 
age of woolen clothing, the following is submitted for 
your information: 

"Telegrams were sent to all camp commanders for 
reports as to shortage, and replies were received. From 
these replies there is found to exist a shortage, and the 
lists below show such camps and the efforts made to 
correct same: 

"Camp Wheeler: Overcoats, number sufficient. 
Blouses, woolen, short 1,141, due to lack of proper 
sizes. Instructions sent to depot quartemiaster to em- 
ploy necessary labor and alter those on hand. 

"Camp Shelby: Overcoats, number sufficient. 
Blouses, woolen, short 5,100, Ordered from New York. 

"Camp Kearney: Overcoats, number sufficient. 
Blouses, woolen, short 13,809, Climate mild; shortage 
due to sending blouses to colder camps first. 

"Camp Dix: Overcoats, short 19; en route to camp 
2,500. Blouses, woolen short 1,440; en route to camp 
6,000. 

"Camp Jackson: Overcoats, nimiber sufficient. 
Blouses, woolen, number sufficient, 

"Camp Grant: Overcoats, number sufficient. 
Blouses, woolen, short 3,821. Ordered from Chicago 
depot. 

"Camp Custer: Overcoats, short 530. December 
26, 600 were shipped by express from Philadelphia. 
Blouses, woolen, short 4,530, due to lack of proper 



230 THE QUAETEEMASTER CORPS 

sizes. Instructions sent to depot quartermaster to em- 
ploy necessary labor and alter those on hand. 

"Camp Beauregard: Overcoats, short 10,863. 
Shipped by express December 22, 22,300. Blouses, 
woolen, short 3,094; 2,784 blouses on hand have been 
ordered altered. 

"Camp Bowie: Overcoats, number sufficient. Blouses, 
woolen, short 3,725 ; 2,750 sent to Fort Sam Houston 
for exchange. Balance ordered shipped by express. 

"Camp Dodge: Overcoats, short 50. Blouses, 
woolen, short 300. Both due to lack of proper sizes. 
Depot quartermaster directed to employ labor and alter 
same to fit. 

"Camp Doniphan: Overcoats, short 2. Blouses, 
woolen, number sufficient. 

"Camp Funston: Overcoats, number sufficient. 
Blouses, woolen, short 9,600; now en route by express, 
10,000. 

"Camp Wadsworth: Overcoats, short 45. Depot 
quartermaster authorized to hire labor to alter those 
on hand. Blouses, woolen, short 3,367. Shipped by 
express December 23, 2,000. 

"Camp Sheridan: Overcoats, number sufficient. 
Blouses, woolen, short 3,996, due to lack of proper sizes. 
Instructions sent to depot quartermaster to employ nec- 
essary labor and alter those on hand. 

"Camp Pike: Overcoats, short 46. Blouses, 
woolen, short 1,260. Overcoats and blouses, woolen, or- 
dered shipped from St. Louis depot. 

"Camp Greene: Overcoats, number sufficient. 
Blouses, woolen, number sufficient. 

"Instructions have been sent to all depot quarter- 
masters to obtain immediately, locally, any uniform gar- 
ment which is short in order to give to each man one 
woolen uniform; when wrong sizes are on hand, to 



SUPPLIES DIVISION 331 

exchange with other camps, if practicable, and to em- 
ploy garment makers to alter garments so as to fit those 
who are without necessary uniforms. 

"In addition to the shortages of overcoats and woolen 
blouses mentioned above, the reports also showed short- 
ages of breeches in some camps, and in five or six therei 
were small shortages of woolen underwear and some 
men did not have the prescribed allowance of three 
complete suits of underwear. These were also directed 
to be supplied from local markets. 

"Blouses are very difficult to obtain and the shortage 
on this account is quite general. However, provided 
each man has woolen underwear, and a flannel shirt, and 
an overcoat, the temporary shortage would not materi- 
ally cause great inconvenience. As fast as woolen 
blouses are received from contractors they are being 
forwarded by express to the different camps and can- 
tonments where shortage exists. 

"The delay in overcoats and other garments received 
was due partially to supply and largely to railroad de- 
lays, far longer than customary. All the camp com- 
manders have been directed to report daily as to equip- 
ment. 

"In all cases there was found to be sufficient bedding 
in the hands of the troops." 

Cordially yours, 
NEWTON D. BAKER, 

Secretary of War. (S. 1,351.) 

It will be noted that the above letter cites the steps 
taken to cover the shortages. The totals of the short- 
ages above reported amount to 11,555 overcoats, and 
55,183 bloiises. 

The Secretary of War, on January 28, 1918, testified 



\ 

232 THE QUAKTEEMASTEK COEPS 

before the Committee on Military Affairs of the Senate, 
as follows: 

":N'ow, instead of having 50,000 or 100,000 men 
in France, in 1917, we have many more men than that 
in France, and instead of half a million men whom 
we could ship to France if we could find any way to 
do it in 1918, we will have more than one-half mil- 
lion men in France early in 1918; and we have avail- 
able to ship to France, if the transportation facilities 
are available to us — and the prospects are not unprom- 
ising — we will have one and one-half million who in 
1918 can be shipped to France." 



The Chairman : ''Why have you not felt it proper to 
let the public into your confidence with reference to 
these things that you are telling now ?" 

Secretary Baker: "Senator, I confess I have hesi- 
tated and I still hesitate. I have here a statement from 
Field Marshal Von Hindenburg, in which he is quoted 
as saying in a German newspaper, in contemptuous 
fashion of us, that we have advertised our preparations 
for this war in an unworthy manner." 

The Chairman: "Do you think for a moment, 
Secretary Baker, that there has been any time within 
the last year that the German Secret Service has not 
been fully advised as to everything we have done ?" 

Secretary Baker: "Yes, Senator, I know. If I 
may rely upon confidential information which we get 
from confidential sources, the German Government is 



SUPPLIES DIVISION 233 

still mystified as to the number of men we have in 
France, or have had there at any time." (S, 1978.) 

The above statement was made at a public session 
of the Committee, and at the session held on February 
6, 1918, effort was made to secure information for the 
basis of the statement, and the Secretary of War was 
questioned as to the ship tonnage which would be avail- 
able for transporting the troops to France. The latter 
session was also public, and for that reason Senator 
Beckham made the following remarks: (S. 2.080.) 

"Let me make the suggestion: I believe all of the 
members of the Committee recognize the wisdom of 
the War Department in not disclosing the exact number 
of troops we now have in France. Yet, at the same 
time, the effect of these questions, if answered, in de- 
termining how many tons of shipping you have, how 
much has been used, how much we will have at some 
time in the future would be, by a simple process of 
arithmetic, to bring out exactly how many troops we 
have taken over there, because we can all well under- 
stand that troops have been shipped over there as 
rapidly as tonnage could be found. 

"The direction of these questions is to that effect, to 
disclose in a public hearing how many troops we have in 
France." 

As stated previously, the orders positively prohibited 
the giving of information as to the number of men in. 
the camps and the number of troops which had been 
shipped to France. The above extracts clearly indicate 
the fact and the propriety of such orders. Because of 



234 THE QTJAETEKMASTEE COEPS 



such orders it was not possible for the Quartermaster' 
General to give a statement of the amount of clothing 
shipped to France as a reserve, as these figures would 
indicate the number of men there. 

The following is a statement of clothing and equipage 
shipped overseas by depots from date of first convoy 
to Jan. 15, 1918 (H. 736). 



CLOTHING 



Belts, waist 122,268 

Blankets 520,253 

Boots, rubber: 

Hip 152,224 

Knee 9,556 

Breeches, wool 227,359 

Caps: 

Denim 11,872 

Winter 222,212 

Chevrons, wool 74,109 

Coats : 

Blue, dress 1,824 

Wool 132,047 

Denim 70,350 

Drawers, wool 856,361 

Ga,untlets, winter .... 184,437 

Gloves : 

Riding 91,583 

Wool 279,919 

Horsehide, fleece 

lined 2,902 

Yellow, horsehide . . . 30,902 

Hats, service 158,698 

Jerkins 201,155 



Laces : 

Breeches 

Leggins 

Shoe 

Leggins : 

Canvas 

Leather 

Spiral, puttee 

Moccasins 

Overcoats 

Overshoes, arctic 

Shirts, flannel 

Shoes, field 

Slickers 

Stretchers, shoe 

Toques 

Trousers: 

Denim 

Blue, dress 

Undershirts, wool .... 
Stockings, wool heavy 

weight 



359,413 

1,561 

267,632 

79,907 
1.000 
234,752 
201,161 
140,574 
355,868 
215,957 
898,821 

84,839 

335 

135,673 

100,456 

3,024 

681,224 

941,512 



Note: The orders directing the shipment of troops 
abroad required that each man shall be supplied with 2 
complete suits of woolen uniforms, 1 overcoat, 3 suits 
of woolen underwear, 5 pairs of heavy woolen socks, 2 
flannel shirts, 2 pairs field shoes, 1 slicker, 3 blankets, 
1 hat, 1 pair spiral puttees, 1 pair gloves. 



SUPPLIES DIVISION 235 

It will be observed from the above table there had 
been shipped 227,359 breeches, wool; 132,047 coats, 
wool; 856,361 drawers, wool; 140,574 overcoats; 215,- 
957 shirt.s, flannel; 681,224 undershirts, wool. These 
figures compared with the total shortages given in the 
letter of the Secretary of War of January 4, 1918, above 
quoted indicate that those shortages of 11,555 over- 
coats; 55,183 blouses, and some breeches and underwear 
would not have existed on December 31, 1917, the date 
stated at which the troops would be equipped, had not 
the necessity of shipping the supplies to France arisen. 
Furthermore, it will be noted that each man sent to 
France was provided with an extra suit of uniform, 
and it will be shown that the remainder of the draft, 
144,132 could have been supplied from the extra uni- 
forms so taken over by the men. 

According to official figTires there were on December 
31, 1917, 

In United States Service \ Men 

Exclusive of 5,493 Philippine Scouts / 1,324,573 

and of this number there were in France 178,591 men 
on the same date. 

As the shortages noted in the Secretary of War's 
letter of Jan, 4, 1918, had been provided for, it will 
be seen that the Quartermaster Corps had equipped and 
clothed the following men by December 31, 1917 : 

Men 
In the United States Service exclusive of Philip- 
pine Scouts 1,324,573 

Marines 3,850 

Signal Corps Cadets 7,000 



236 THE QUAETERMASTER CORPS 

Ist Training Camp 42,000 

2nd Training Camp 26,000 

A. E. F. (extra uniforms) 178,591 

Total 1,582,014 

And it is tkouglit to be a fair statement to add that 
in so doing the Quartermaster Corps fully carried out 
the plan given to it, and accomplished the task in the 
time prescribed, and by the date which had been fre- 
quently specified. 

PROBLEM OF SUPPLY 

In order to work out a plan by which supplies should 
always be available when needed, both in this country 
and abroad, it was necessary to consider carefully the 
amount of time required for transportation of supplies 
from manufacturers to depots, from depots to camps, 
or from depots to troops abroad. 

An even more important problem was that of deter- 
mining the time required to obtain supplies after orders 
had been placed with factories, and oftentimes diffi- 
culties necessarily resulted because of an underestima- 
tion of this time or because of delinquencies in factories 
themselves. 

At the beginning of the war it was peculiarly true 
that factories took contracts for much more than they 
could actually produce, and that factories in certain 
parts of the country were given contracts for much 
more than could actually be produced in their terri- 
tories. The proper allocation of contracts, the deter- 
mination in advance of the allocation of contracts as to 



SUPPLIES DIVISIOI^ 237 

whether raw materials were available for the actual 
manufacture, were matters which had to be worked out 
in great detail. For example, the problem with respect 
to woolen clothing was not merely the problem of pur- 
chase of a supply already existing. It was a problem 
of determining : first, how many suits were needed and 
when and where needed; second, of making sure that 
the wool was available for the manufacturing of such 
suits — and this constituted one of the most serious 
problems ; third, the placing of contracts for the obtain- 
ing of such uniforms; and fourth, the delivery of the 
uniforms to the places where they were actually needed. 
The problem of obtaining, manufacturing and supply- 
ing quartermaster supplies for the Army at home and 
abroad was therefore tied up with the whole system 
of national industry and of inland and ocean trans- 
portation. 

DISTRIBUTION OF SUPPLIES IN THIS COUNTRY 

The Quartennaster Corps machinery for distribution 
and for control of distribution has been generally re- 
ferred to above. It is desirable, however, to refer to 
the relationship between the Office of the Quarter- 
master General in distribution and the several camps, 
posts, and military stations throughout the country. 

When the war first began all supervision over the 
supply of posts, camps, etc., was in the hands of the 
six territorial Army departments and was supervised 
by the department commanders and under the depart- 



238 THE QUAKTEEMASTER CORPS 

ment commanders by the department quartermasters. 
By General Orders, N"o. 96, W.D. 1917 (July 20, 
1917), organized tactical divisions of the National 
Guard and the ISTational Army after arrival at their 
divisional camps (the new training camps constituted 
as a result of the war) were exempted from the control 
of the department commanders in all that pertained to 
administration, instruction, training, and discipline. 
Department commanders, however, were expressly 
given supervision over the supply of these camps, and 
were required to take steps to establish a camp supply 
depot at each camp. These camp supply depots were 
to be filled from the general depots of the supply 
bureaus, or directly from contractors as designated 
under the direction of the bureau chiefs. The camp 
supply depots were by this order under the direction of 
division commanders. 

General Orders :^o. 137, W.D. 1917 (Oct. 30, 1917), 
rescinded General Orders l^o. 96 and exempted from 
the control of the department commanders the supply 
of organized tactical divisions of the ITational Guard 
and ISTational Army after arrival at divisional camps. 
By General Orders No. 137 "The camp representatives 
of each supply department will report direct to and be 
under the supei-vision of commanding ofiicers of such 
supply depots as may be directed by the respective 
bureau chiefs, who will be held responsible that adequate 
supplies are on hand at all times." Camp supply de- 
pots remained under the direction of division or camp 
commanders for discipline, protection, and coordination 



StJPPLIES DIVISION 23^ 

of supply within their divisions or camps, but ceased to 
be under the control of the division or camp command- 
ers with respect to the general handling of supplies 
themselves. 

A Fuel and Forage Brancli was established in the 
Supplies Division very early in the war, and Colonel 
W. H. Horton assigned to the charge of same, and to 
act as the representative of the Quartermaster Corps 
with the Fuel Administration when the latter was 
created. 

Previous to the establishment of the United States 
Fuel Administration, the coal and other fuel required 
by the army were procured by contract, after due ad- 
vertisement as required by law. These advertisements 
were issued from the various department headquarters, 
under the decentralized method of administration then 
in operation. It was found that satisfactory contracts 
could not be made, as the coal producers and dealers 
were unwilling under the conditions then existing to 
enter into contract for any extended period of time. 
After the establishment of the Fuel Administration it 
was necessary to centralize in the Office of the Quarter- 
master General the supply of coal for the army and, 
compilations were made covering the requirements of 
all posts, camps and stations. Allocations for them were 
received from the Fuel Administration. 

Many difficulties were encountered in the winter of 
1917-18 in keeping the camps supplied with the neces- 
sary fuel, due to the severity of the weather, the short- 
age in production of coal, delays in transportation, 



240 THE QUARTEKMASTEE CORPS 

caused hj snow and by the congestion of transporta- 
tion ; but by constant attention it was possible to main- 
tain the supply in a satisfactory manner, with but few 
complaints of actual shortage. 

The relationship and contact with the Fuel Adminis- 
tration was close and constant. Through circular let- 
ters outlining methods of procedure in procurement of 
coal and coke, decentralization was sought in order that 
time might be saved. The Fuel Administration had its 
representatives in nearly all the coal-producing dis- 
tricts of the country. After quartermasters were ad- 
vised as to which district representative their require^ 
ments had been referred for allocation with the coal or 
coke^producing companies, or with which producing 
company estimate had been placed, these quartermast- 
ers were authorized to handle the matter direct with the 
representatives or the shipper. 

Previous to the beginning of the war the forage and 
bedding required by the army had been handled in the 
same way as the fuel requirements, that is, by contract 
after advertisement. This was also found unsatisfac- 
tory, due to the great fluctuations in prices, and an office 
was established at Kansas City, Mo., under the direc- 
tion of Colonel E. E. Dravo, charged with the duty of 
obtaining the necessary supplies. 

CONSERVATION AND RECLAMATION 

Very early after the declaration of war, the United 
States followed the British and French example of pro- 
viding for the reclamation of materials and supplies. 



SUPPLIES DIVISION" 241 

The proper provisions for disinfecting, cleaning, repair- 
ing, and pressing of clothing, shoes, and equipage be- 
came the more necessary after the abolition (by Gen- 
eral Orders, ISTo. 89, War Department, 1917) of the 
individual clothing allowance for enlisted men. With 
the publication of this order, clothing issued to enlisted 
men became definitely Government property, and a 
guaranty was given that a soldier would be furnished 
the quantity of clothing necessary and adequate for the 
service upon which he was engaged. With respect to 
shoes, action in providing methods of repair was taken 
on June 28, 1917, when instructions were issued by The 
Adjutant General's Office to all department command- 
ers in the United States authorizing them to submit 
requisitions for machinery for half-soling shoes, at the 
rate of one machine for each regiment called into the 
service of the United States. 

In the Supplies Division of the Ofiice of the Quarter- 
master General a Conservation Branch was created on 
October 5, 1917. This branch was erected into an in- 
dependent division of the Office of the Quartermaster 
General by Office Order ISTo. 114 (N'ov. 8, 1917). By 
June 30, 1918, the Conservation and Eeclamation Di- 
vision had a total personnel of 108. 

On December 1, 1917, every camp quartermaster and 
depot quartermaster was directed to assign an ofiicer 
and an adequate personnel to conservation work in the 
respective camps and depots, and an allotment was made 
of 8 men for the operation of every shoe shop and 21 
men to every clothing repair shop. 



242 THE QUAETEKMASTER CORPS 

On January 29, 1918, General Orders No. 9 pub- 
lished to the Army regulations pertinent to reclama- 
tion of waste at the various depots, cantonments, camps, 
posts, forts, and other units of the Army, and charged 
the reclamation officer with the direct supervision of 
clothing, shoe, hat, and equipage repair shops of the 
Quartermaster Corps. 

In December, 1917, the construction of a building 
to house the repairing of shoes and clothing was author- 
ized at each of the National Army and National Guard 
camps. The space thus provided proved insufficient to 
meet the requirements of the camps and cantonments 
and had to be increased from time to time. Base plants 
were established at New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, 
Fort Sam Houston, El Paso, Jeffersonville, and Chi- 
cago. These base plants provided a means of renovat- 
ing clothing and equipage for the small stations, where 
the establishment of a repair shop was not warranted 
or advantageous contracts could not be made. 

On June 17, 1918, Special Regulations No. 77 were 
published to the Army. These regulations enlarged 
the functions of the Conservation and Reclamation Di- 
vision, placing all laundering, dry cleaning, and gar- 
dening and farming under its jurisdiction, in addition 
to the repairing of clothing, shoes, hats, and equipage, 
and the prevention of waste specified in General Or- 
ders, No. 9, 1918. 

The personnel of the field organization in the various 
cantonments and camps grew from the original allot- 
pient of 8 men to every shoei shop and 21 men to every 



SUPPLIES DIVISIOK 243 

clothing repair shop to a company of 580 officers and 
men. The enlisted personnel consisted of men dis- 
qualified for any reason for service overseas. 

The repair shops authorized in December, 1917, were 
in many cases completed and equipped and in opera- 
tion by April, 1918. 

Camp laimdries were established at Camps Custer, 
Dix, Funston, Lee, Meade, Merritt, Sherman, Stuart, 
Taylor, Travis, Upton, and at 15 Regular Army Posts. 



VI 



KEMOUNT DIVISION AN^D EEMOUNT 
SERVICE 

Organization and operation — ^Method of purchasing remounts 
during the War witli Germany — Training activities — Over- 
seas units — Breeding. 

ORGANIZATION AND OPERATION 

At the outbreak of tlie War with Germany, the Re- 
mount Division was not yet in existence and there was 
no Remount Service worthy of that name. The pur- 
chase of anny remounts and the supervision over the 
three permanent remount depots, and the two auxiliary 
remount depots then in existence, and remount matters 
generally, were entrusted to the Transportation Division 
of the Quartermaster General's Office. That Division, 
likewise, had jurisdiction over the procurement and 
distribution of all motor-propelled and animal-drawn 
vehicles, harness and miscellaneous animal and wagon 
equipment. Later the Remount Branch of the Trans- 
portation Division was organized, and in September, 
1917, this Branch developed into a fully organized Di- 
vision, with one officer in charge and four commissioned, 
and about sixteen civilian assistants. At that time 
the procurement and distribution of animal-drawn 

244 



REMOUNT DIVISIOI^ 245 

vehicles, harness and miscellaneous animal and wagon 
equipment were also transferred from the Transporta- 
tion Division to the newly organized Remount Division. 

For the purpose of the procurement of remounts, the 
United States, shortly after the beginning of the War, 
was divided into four Remount Purchasing Zones, viz : 
the Eastern Zone with Headquarters at the Front Royal 
Remount Depot, Front Royal, Va. ; the Southern Zone 
with Headquarters at Fort Reno Remount Depot, Fort 
Reno, Oklahoma; the Korthem Zone with Headquar- 
ters at Fort Keogh Remount Depot, Fort Keogh, Mon- 
tana ; and the Central Zone with Headquarters at Kan- 
sas City, Missouri. 

At the beginning of the War, there were as hereto- 
fore stated, three permanent remount depots and two 
auxiliary remount depots in existence, viz: the per- 
manent remount depots at Front Royal, Virginia, Fort 
Reno, Oklahoma, and Fort Keogh, Montana, and the 
auxiliary remount depots at Fort Bliss, Texas, and Fort 
Sam Houston, Texas. There were on hand with or- 
ganizations and at posts and stations in the United 
States and Insular Possessions, approximately 100,000 
animals of all classes. These were distributed largely 
along the Mexican Border, and in the Southern Depart- 
ment, having been turned into the two auxiliary Re- 
mount Depots, named above, by organizations of the 
National Guard, when the latter were ordered to their 
home stations for muster out of the Federal Service. 
There was a surplus of approximately 40,000 animals 
of the total number of animals on hand, the least desir- 



246 THE QUAETEKMASTER CORPS 

able of which were condemned and sold and the re- 
maining surplus issued to organizations belonging to 
the first increment of the enlarged regular army, and 
to the ISTational Guard organizations that were again 
called into the service to guard public utilities. 

Prior to the outbreak of the war, many plans had 
been worked out for the procurement of remounts and 
of vehicles and harness, to be used in the event of hos- 
tilities, but when War was declared it was found that 
these plans were obsolete, due to the magnitude and 
extent of the military program. Consequently it was 
necessary to decide immediately upon, and to adopt a 
plan of purchasing animals, wagons, harness and other 
equipment that would meet the demands of the War 
Department, and safeguard the interests of the Govern- 
ment. The plan at the same time was to be based on 
the principle that no individual, fii-m or corporation 
should be permitted to make more than a reasonable 
profit in furnishing equipment and animals to the 
Government. The system of purchasing by contract 
from the lowest bidder was not suitable for war con- 
ditions as it lacked the necessary flexibility and re- 
quired too much time to put it in operation. 

METHOD OF PURCHASING REMOUNTS DURING THE WAR 
WITH GERMANY 

In the summer of 1917, the contract method of buy- 
ing having failed to produce the required number of 
animals, the Quartermaster General, in a memorandum 



EEMOUNT DIVISION" 247 

to the Secretary of War on the relative merit of open 
market purchases and purchase by contract after com- 
petitive bidding, expressed an opinioii in favor of the 
former as being less costly and more flexible than the 
latter. "We shall require/' the memorandum set forth, 
"approximately 180,000 horses and 80,000 mules for 
the National Guard and National Army. The pv 
chases are to commence about August 1st. If we let 
contracts for supplying these animals, under the law, 
we cannot reduce or increase any contract more than 
twenty per cent. If the war should suddenly come to a 
close, the Government would be compelled to buy mil- 
lions of dollars' worth of animals it would not need, 
or it would bo compelled to annul contracts and pay 
contractors large amounts for damages. On the other 
hand, by purchasing in the open market without con- 
tract, the Government will be able to stop buying on 
short notice. If great losses of animals should occur 
in war (such as the sinking of a convoy of animal trans- 
ports) , it would necessitate quick buying of larger num- 
bers than the contractors could furnish, and the Quar- 
termaster Corps must either buy in the open market, or 
fail to meet the military needs of the Nation. It would 
take too long to advertise and let new contracts." 

The method of open market purchases suggested by 
the Quartermaster General, was approved by the Sec- 
retary of War July 8, 1917, and shortly thereafter in- 
structions were sent to the various Remount Zones to 
buy according to the new system. The Quartermaster 
General furnished the Purchasing Officer in each of the 



248 THE QUAETEEMASTER COEPS 

permanent Remount Depots with the average price he 
was authorized by the Secretary of War to pay for each 
class of animal, which price he was not allowed to 
exceed. The Purchasing Officer was also allotted a cer- 
tain number of animals of each class to be purchased 
in his Zone within a specified time. He was required to 
report to the Remount Division, Office of the Quarter- 
master General, each day by wire, the number of each 
class of animals shipped, names of contractors from 
whom purchased, and the organization of the Army and 
destination to which shipped during the preceding day 
in his Zone. N^o paid advertisement was authorized in 
connection with this method of purchase in the open 
market. A form of agreement with dealers and con- 
tractors was adopted which relieved the latter of certain 
onerous provisions of the old contracts. It required a 
bond of but five per cent, of the total amount of the 
contract where more than 100 animals were contracted 
for, and provided for retention of five per cent, of con- 
tract price for 100 animals or less until fulfillment of 
contract. The Government's interests were further pre 
tected by reserving the right to terminate inspection 
and purchase at any time, or on termination of hostili- 
ties, on ten days' notice to the contractor. These pro- 
visions removed some of the main objections raised 
against the old form of contract. The Government op- 
tion to suspend purchases was twice exercised during 
the year 1918. 

During the summer and fall of 191Y, buying was 
conducted on a large scale in all Remount Zones under 



REMOUNT DIVISION" 249 

the open market method, hids being accepted without 
advertisement from reliable contractors and dealers lo- 
cated at points convenient for inspection and delivery, 
at prices fixed by the Government. Under this system, 
enterprising dealers, having a certain market at known 
prices, were able to build up buying and collecting or- 
ganizations which brought animals rapidly to inspection 
points and assured a steady flow of the desired types to 
camps and auxiliary remount depots. Delivery was re- 
quired to be made within fixed periods, usually fifteen 
to forty-five days, the policy being to give comparatively 
small buying orders to be executed in short time, fol- 
lowed by new orders, so as to keep purchasing organiza- 
tions, both of Government and dealers, steadily at work. 
Contracts were eagerly sought for, and most of the deal- 
ers were able to carry out their obligations in full. 

The principal States in which animals were pur- 
chased were Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Montana, the 
Dakotas, Ohio, Kentucky and Texas. Contracts were 
made with approximately 350 dealers and the heaviest 
buying was done in the Kansas City and Fort Reno 
Zones. The successful operation of the open market 
contract system enabled the Remount Division to keep 
pace with the demands of the rapidly extending mili- 
tary organization, so that in the spring of 1918 there 
was a surplus of animals on hand. Purchasing was 
then suspended and all contracts cancelled. 

Inspection of animals in the field was made by 
Purchasing Boards constituted in accordance with reg- 
ulations of the Quartermaster General, comprising a 



250 THE QUARTERMASTER CORPS 

commissioned purchasing officer, a commissioned veter- 
inary officer, two civilian clerks, and a messenger for 
the paper work, shipping and branding. These boards 
reported daily by mail and telegraph to the headquar- 
ters of the Zone in which they operated, and were un- 
der constant supervision as to methods of inspection, 
sanitation and shipping. Some of them operated at sev- 
eral inspection points, others in a single locality. As a 
rule boards were able to handle the animals as rapidly 
as presented for inspection. The purchasing officer was 
held responsible for final acceptance of the animal, 
while the veterinarian was accountable for the animal's 
health and physical soundness. Prescribed specifica- 
tions for army horses and mules governed in the selec- 
tion of animals. They were shipped to camps in charge 
of an authorized civilian attendant. 

At the beginning of the war it was realized that the 
fulfilment of the Army horse-drawn vehicle program 
would necessitate the mobilization of the entire wagon 
industry in the United States. A consultation was 
arranged with the ^National Wagon Workers' Associa- 
tion, the Committee of the Council of National Defense 
and representatives of the Quartermaster's Corps, at 
which certain manufacturers agreed to take over the 
manufacture and delivery of the required supply of 
Quartermaster vehicles and harness at prices mutually 
agreed upon. These prices were those furnished by the 
Depot Quartermaster, Jefi^ersonville, Indiana, at which 
depot those supplies had always been bought, and were 
the average prices paid to contractors for supplying 



EEMOUNT DIVISION 251 

vehicles and harness under the competitive bidding 
system. 

The wagon industry had always used air-dried lum- 
ber, which required a long period for seasoning and 
drying. The entire supply of such lumber was soon 
used up and it became necessary to arrange immediately 
for kiln-dried lumber. N^one of the wagon manufac- 
turer's plants was equipped with kilns and the build- 
ing and fitting up of sufficient kilns to dry the quantity 
of lumber required was a veiy serious proposition. It 
soon developed that a large part of the wood stock for 
this large number of vehicles was still in the trees of the 
forest. The manufacturers called on the lumbermen, 
and the Remount Division arranged a plan whereby the 
wood stock would be obtained and delivered to the 
manufacturers, the Government being obligated to take 
over such wood stock as might not be used in case the 
war came to an end and contracts were annuled. 

The Government entered into agreements with the 
wagon manufacturers to defray half the cost of all 
kilns constructed, and to pay for siich portion of the 
cost at the rate of $10 per wagon produced, or $10 on 
each $185 worth of spare parts fabricated on Govern- 
ment order. 

As an instance of the spare parts situation it might 
be mentioned that on the first order for 34,000 escort 
wagons, the spare parts required amounted to about 
fifty per cent of the total order for wagons. 

During the war there was developed a number of 
new types of wagons, such as the drinking-water wagons 



252 THE QUARTEKMASTER CORPS 

and carts, medical and ration carts, combat wagons, 
veterinary ambulances, sprinkler wagons, and other 
vehicles produced in smaller quantities. 

In spite of the fact that the entire amount of kiln- 
dried lumber on hand was consumed in the first few 
months of the war and that ordinarily six months are 
required for proper kiln-drying before the log is ready 
for fabrication, vehicles and parts were supplied on 
time and in accordance with the plans outlined by 
the General Staff, 

Purchases of all classes of horsc'-drawn vehicles from 
April 6, 1917, to July 1, 1919, approximate 190,000. 
'No orders were placed after N^ovember 11, 1918, and 
all orders that could be terminated were canceled shortly 
after the signing of the armistice. Of the total number 
ordered approximately 117,000 were completed. The 
production of spare parts kept pace with the production 
of vehicles. 

The total of spare parts ordered was equivalent to 
about sixty per cent, of the entire number of completed 
vehicles delivered. 

For the purchase and supply of harness the same 
method was followed as for vehicles, except that no 
national association of harness makers assisted in dis- 
tributing the work. However, the leather committee 
of the Council of ITational Defense gave much valuable 
assistance in numerous instances by recommending 
methods of inspection, advising as to the prices that 
should be paid for leather and for harness, and in 
securing reliable men for duty in inspecting harness. 



REMOUNT DIVISION 253 

The harness manufacturing business was hampered 
by labor troubles due to the fact that the original 
contracts did not contain the eight-hour clause. When 
it became necessary to add a supplementary clause to 
each contract providing for an eight-hour day and time 
and a half for overtime, there had to be an adjustment 
of prices, and several firms surrendered their contracts. 

At the outbreak of the war the leather business, 
like all other industries, found itself on a high level of 
prices, due to the very large amount of leather and 
equipment which America had been called upon to 
furnish the European nations already at war. Hence, 
.the first difficulty was to establish prices. In May, 
1917, the chairman of the leather equipment committee 
of the Council of National Defense called together the 
tanners and agreed with them upon the prices for all 
grades of equipment leather which the Government ex- 
pected to buy. The packers were next called together 
and maximum prices on hides suitable for Army leather 
were agreed upon and option taken on 750,000 hides 
then in their hands. 

Generally speaking, no action was taken in regard 
to the hide or leather business without calling together 
the branch of the trade that was interested and coming 
to an agreement with them on the quality and price. 
This procedure was followed during the entire war. 
On the establishment of the War Industries Board and 
the price fixing committee, prices were regularly fixed 
after the examination of the books and accounts of 



254 THE QUAETERMASTEK CORPS 

tanners and harness manufacturers by the Federal 
Trade Commission. 

The prices of leather were thus established very 
successfully for harness leather which was then fixed 
at sixty-six cents, was advanced only four cents per 
pound during the eighteen months that we were at war, 
and russet leather fixed at $1.03 never advanced above 
$1.07 during the same period. 

The system of open market purchase of public ani- 
mals pre\4ously adverted to required a large number 
of experienced officers to be placed in charge of the 
Remount Purchasing Zones. A request was made to 
the War Department for the detail of fifty of the best 
known horsemen of the Regular Army for this par- 
ticular duty, but only sixteen could be spared, and 
these sixteen officers were permitted to serve on this 
duty for only about forty-five days when their services 
were required elsewhere. While these officers were on 
this duty, thirty-two Reserve Corps Officers who had 
already been commissioned in the Quartermaster Re- 
serve Corps were ordered to the different purchasing of- 
fices and placed under the instruction of the Regular 
Army Officers for a short period of time to study the 
type of animal required for military use and army 
methods generally. However, only a relatively small 
number of these officers proved to be entirely qualified to 
buy horses and mules. 

Thereupon, the Secretary of War, on June 27, 1917, 
authorized the appointment from civil life of fifty of 
the most distinguished horsemen and gentlemen riders 



EEMOUN'T DIVISION" 255 

in the country, as Captains in the Quartermaster Re- 
serve corps for duty in connection with the inspection 
and purchase of public animals. That these officers 
performed the duties imposed upon them in a remark- 
ably efficient manner, considering their entire lack of 
military experience and army methods generally, is 
shown by the large number of excellent animals which 
were purchased by them as heads of purchasing boards, 
and by the fact that when purchasing ceased, many of 
these officers were very successful as Commanding Of- 
ficers of Auxiliary Remount Depots. 

Experience on the Mexican Border and in the 
Southern Department in 1916 demonstrated the neces- 
sity for conditioning animals after purchase, before 
issue to troops. It was estimated that over ninety per 
cent, of all animals purchased contracted shipping fever 
and influenza at the stock yards and at stock pens where 
they were unloaded for feeding and watering, when be- 
ing shipped from point of purchase to destination. 
When shipped direct to organizations, a considerable 
number died from influenza or other diseases such as 
pneumonia and purpura, resulting from the attack of 
influenza. 

To provide, therefore, a flexible organization for sup- 
plying serviceable horses and mules for the army; to 
properly care for and condition animals prior to their 
issue to troops and to receive animals purchased and 
shipped by purchasing boards, it became necessary to 
organize and establish an Auxiliary Remount Depot at 
each division camp and cantonment of the National 



256 THE QTJAETEEMASTER CORPS 

Guard and ISTational Army of the United States, as well 
as an Animal Embarkation Depot at ISTewport News, 
Va., and one at Charleston, South Carolina. These 
were to be used as Ports of Embarkation from which 
animals could be shipped overseas, and Field Remount 
Squadrons for duty on the lines of communication and 
in the theaters of operations. 

Authority for and the establishment and organization 
of auxiliary remount depots having a capacity of 5,000 
animals, was granted by the Secretary of War May 26, 
1917, the authority being published in the Army in 
General Orders IN^o. 105, War Department, AugTist 13, 
1917. These instructions were subsequently rescinded 
and General Ordei*s l^o. 131, War Department, Oc- 
tober 5, 1917, were substituted. Section 2 of this order 
established the Remount Service as a separate National 
Army Organization, provided for the organization of 
thirty-three auxiliary remount depots and an animal 
embarkation depot, and the necessary field remount 
depots, later called field remount squadrons, for duty 
on the lines of communication and in the theaters of 
operations. The location of the various Auxiliary Re- 
mount and Animal Embarkation Depots were as 
follows : 

Camp Beauregard, Alexan- Camp Devens, Ayer, Mass. 

dria, La. Camp Dix, Wrightstown, 

Camp Bowie, Fort Worth, N.J. 

Texas. Camp Dodge, Des Moines, 

Camp Cody, Deming, N. Mex. Iowa. 

Camp Custer, Battle Creek, Camp Doniphan, Fort Sill, 

Mich. Okla. 



EEMOUKT DIVISION" 



257 



Camp Fremont, Palo Alto, 

Calif. 
Camp Funston, Kansas. 
Camp Gordon, Atlanta, Ga. 
Camp Grant, Rockford, 111. 
Camp Green, Charlotte, N. C. 
Camp Hancock, Augusta, Ga. 
Camp Jackson, Columbia, S. C. 
Camp Johnston, Jacksonville, 

Fla. 
Camp Kearney, Linda Vista, 

Calif. 
Camp Lee, Petersburg, Va. 
Camp Lewis, American Lake, 

Washing:ton. 
Camp Logan, Houston, Texas. 
Camp MacArthur, Waco, 

Texas. 
Camp McClellan, Anniston, 

Ala. 



Camp Meade, Admiral, Md. 

Camp Pike, Little Rock, Ark. 

Camp Sevier, Gi-eenville, 
S. C. 

Camp Shelby, Hattiesburg, 
Miss. 

Camp Sheridan, Montgomery, 
Ala. 

Camp Sherman, Chillieothe, 
Ohio. 

Camp Taylor, Louisville, Ky. 

Camp Tra\ds, Ft. Sam Hous- 
ton, Texas. 

Camp Upton, Yaphank, L. I., 
N. Y. 

Camp Wadsworth, Spartan- 
burg, S. C. 

Camp Wheeler, Centaur, Ga. 

Newport News, Va. 

Charleston, S. C. 



Regulations governing the organization, administra- 
tion and equipment of auxiliary remount and animal 
embarkation depots and field remount depots were pub- 
lished for the information of all concerned, in Special 
Regulations No. 66, War Department, 1917. 

The auxiliary remount depots and animal embarka- 
tion depots in the United States were placed under the 
authority of the Quartermaster General in all matters 
pertaining to their operation, with the exception that 
the Commanding General of each Camp, Cantonment, 
or Port of Embarkation exercised the same authority 
that a department commander exercises under Army 
Regulations over the posts in his department in matters 
pertaining to sanitation, discipline and general court- 
martial jurisdiction. 



258 THE QUAETEEMASTER CORPS 

There were established at each auxiliary remount de- 
pot and animal embarkation depot schools for horse- 
shoers, teamsters, packers, saddlers, and stable ser- 
geants. These schools were under the jurisdiction of 
the Commanding Officer and the course of instruction 
for horseshoers covered a period of four months and 
for packers and teamsters a period of two months. The 
enlisted students for these schools were detailed from 
the line or Quartermaster Corps, and upon graduation 
were furnished certificates of proficiencj for that par- 
ticular course of instruction. 

As the war progressed, the commissioned, enlisted 
and civilian personnel of the Remount Division and the 
Remount Service, increased rapidly until at the time 
of the signing of the armistice, there were on duty in 
the Remount Division, seven officers, and thirty-eight 
civilian clerks, and in the Remount Service at large 
in the United States, approximately 400 officers and 
19,000 enlisted men. 

All domestic shipments of animals were made in 
strict compliance with the twenty-eight hour release 
for feed and water as required by law, and arrange- 
ments made with the Bureau of Animal Industry to 
place representatives at various feed and rest stations 
throughout the country to inspect and place all stock 
pens and yards where public animals would be fed and 
watered in a sanitary condition. 

There was a total of 300,802 animals purchased in 
the United States from the beginning of the War; all 
of which had to be transported from point of purchase, 



KEMOUNT DIVISION 259 

to a Remount Depot, and in most instances again 
shipped to ports of embarkation or to a Remount Depot 
near the Athmtic Coast so that they could be readily 
available for shipment overseas when called for. In 
many cases these animals were shipped over very long 
distances, i. e., 

2,073 miles Camp Lewis to Camp Dodge 
1,940 miles Camp Kearny to Camp Pike 
1,918 miles Camp Fremont to Camp Funston 

Out of all shipments made in the United States, there 
was a total loss of horses and mules from all causes 
including wrecks and natural death of approximately 
425 animals, or .0014 per cent, of the total number of 
animals shipped. This percentage would be still fur- 
ther reduced if it is considered that all animals were 
reshipped at least once. 

TRAINING ACTIVITIES 

Commissioned Personnel 

As the war progressed it became increasingly difficult 
for the Remount Service to meet the demands made 
upon it for officers, due to the establishment of the 
Auxiliary Remount Depots and the Animal Embarka- 
tion Depots intended for the care and conditioning of 
public animals prior to their issue to troops or ship- 
ment overseas, each of which required five officers, and 
due also to the organization of a number of overseas 



260 THE QUARTERMASTER CORPS 

units. The available supply of expert horsemen of 
the country who had volunteered their services soon 
became exhausted and the demands of the other Bureaus 
of the War Department and arms of service rendered 
it more difficult to obtain suitable officers who might 
be willing to transfer to the Remount Service. Of 
course, by far the greatest number of officers of that 
service was obtained from the trained non-commissioned 
officers serving at our Remount Depots, so that when 
the armistice was proclaimed, between three and four 
hundred non-commissioned officers had been commis- 
sioned and were then serving either at the Auxiliary 
Remount Depots, and the Animal Embarkation De- 
pots, or were on duty with overseas unit of the Remount 
Service in training in the United States or already in 
France. 

It soon became apparent, however, that if the Re- 
mount Service should be able to function properly and 
to fill with reasonable promptness the numerous de- 
mands made upon it for Commissioned Personnel, some 
effective steps must be taken without delay to obtain 
such personnel from the country at large. To that 
end, special authority was obtained from the Secretary 
of War to organize Remount Service Officers Training 
Camps. Under this special authority, suitable candi- 
dates above the current draft ages, or men of draft 
ages who were disqualified for service with a combatant 
arm due to physical inability, were selected for a three 
months' course of training. They were actually enlisted 
for the period of training only, and were then com- 



EEMOUI^T DIVISION" 261 

missioned if tliej passed through the Training Camp 
satisfactorily, or, if they failed to pass through satis- 
factorily, were discharged. Three such Training Camps 
were held during the War, The first camp at the Aux- 
iliary Remount Depot, Camp Joseph E. Johnston, 
Jacksonville, Florida, beginning May 10, 1918, gradu- 
ated forty-two men. The second Camp at the same 
Depot beginning September 2, 1918, graduated seventy- 
three men. Another Training Camp was also held at 
the Auxiliary Eemount Depot, Camp Shelby, Hatties- 
burg, Mississippi, graduating thirty-two men. 

OVERSEAS UNITS 

The mobilization camp for the organization and 
training of the Field Remount Squadrons for overseas 
service was established at Camp Joseph E. Johnston, 
Florida, where the original intention was to organize 
these units in connection with the organization of all 
other miscellaneous Quartermaster Corps Organiza- 
tions at that Camp. 

The units to be organized and sent overseas were first 
desig-nated as Field Remount Depots, which were or- 
ganized under the Tables of Organization for such a 
unit, as prescribed in Special Regulations No. 66, which 
also provided for the organization of Auxiliary Remount 
Depots and Animal Embarkation Depots in the United 
States. It was found, however, that on account of the 
difference in the requirements of Remoiuit Depots in 
France, that the organization, as contemplated, was not 



262 THE QUAETEEMASTER CORPS 

sufficiently flexible. Accordingly, a smaller unit desig- 
nated as the Field Remount Squadron, consisting of six 
officers and 157 enlisted men, was authorized so that 
there could be assembled at any depot as many units as 
were necessary, according to the number of animals to 
be cared for, on a basis of one Field Remount Squadron 
for every replacement of 400 animals. 

The complete personnel of one Field Remount Squad- 
ron consisted of four Quartermaster Corps Officers, one 
Medical Officer, one Veterinary Officer, 150 Quarter- 
master Corps, four Medical Corps, and three Veterinary 
Corps enlisted men. Each squadron was completely 
equipped according to Table of Fundamental Allow- 
ances, and additional equipment specially authorized to 
provide for an independent mobile mounted remount 
unit. 

The first four Remount Units organized at Camp 
Joseph E. Johnston were desigTiated as Field Remount 
Depots, I^os. 301, to 304 inclusive, and were organized 
under Tables of Organization, provided for such a unit. 
These were later changed to Field Remount Squadrons 
Nos. 301 to 304 inclusive, and were kept in training 
for a period of three months before being sent overseas. 

In order to shorten the necessary period of training 
and to provide a nucleus of trained men, the Remount 
Division directed the transfer of privates with quali- 
fications for non-commissioned officers, from the various 
Auxiliary Remount Depots to Camp Joseph E. John- 
ston, for subsequent assignment to Field Remount 
Squadrons. These men were given a special course of 



EEMOUITT DIVISION 263 

instruction for non-commissioned officers under experi- 
enced officers, and rapidly developed into excellent non- 
commissioned officers. Such as were found not qualified 
to perform these duties were eliminated. 

In the beginning, officers were assigned to Field Re- 
mount Squadrons from the Office of the Division in 
Washington, but as more officers became available, they 
were ordered to Auxiliary Remount Depot No. 333, 
Camp Joseph E, Johnston, for assignment to squad- 
rons by the Commanding Officer of the camp. These 
officers were also given a course of instruction under 
an experienced officer and were selected for assignment 
to squadrons as these were organized, in accordance 
with their progress and experience. Each squadron was 
thus provided with a well-balanced, properly instructed 
commissioned personnel. 

This method of assignment and selection of officers 
and non-commissioned officers for squadrons was highly 
satisfactory. In case officers did not develop sufficiently 
to perform the duties which were to be required of 
them, orders for their transfer were requested and they 
were assigned duties which they were capable of per- 
forming. Fortunately, and to the credit of the Re- 
mount Service, such action was necessary in but few 
instances. The more backward and inexperienced of- 
ficers, however, were held for a longer period of in- 
struction, and the policy of selecting first, for squadrons 
to be sent overseas, officers most qualified, acted as a 
great stimulus in their training. 

The men received on requisition from the draft, and 



264 THE QUAETEEMASTER CORPS 

by transfer from Auxiliary Remount Depots, were, on 
the whole, of a very desirable type ; many of them com- 
ing from agricultural sections and from the western 
States where they had been accustomed to handling 
stock. 

During the training period the organization, training, 
and equipping of squadrons and other overseas units 
was under the direct supervision of a specially selected 
officer, and the general policy was to place every re- 
sponsibility on the squadron commander for everything 
pertaining to his organization, at the same time afford- 
ing him all necessary instruction and assistance. This 
resulted in developing the independence of each or- 
ganization and the ability to meet all demands under 
all conditions. 

In connection with the training of the squadrons in 
general, special provision was also made for the train- 
ing of the enlisted specialists necessary for each unit. 
Horseshoers' classes were maintained from unassigned 
privates carried as a Casual Detachment pertaining to 
Auxiliary Remount Depot No. 333, Camp Joseph E. 
Johnston. Upon completion of their special training 
they were assigned as squadron horseshoers. An in- 
structor from the school of bakers and cooks at the 
main camp was detailed for duty with the Remount 
Squadrons. He instructed cooks and mess sergeants 
in their duties and had general supervision over aH 
the messes, under the officer in charge of the Field Re- 
mount Squadrons. Saddlers were given instructiona 



EEMOUNT DIVISION 265 

prior to the establishment of the Saddlers' School, 
farriers were trained under the supervision of Veter- 
inary OfBcers at the Veterinary Hospital, and teamsters 
were given instructions at the Teamsters' School. A 
special class for squadron clerks was instituted and all 
officers and specially selected non-commissioned officers 
attended conferences every evening. Troops were in- 
structed in everything applicable to their duties and in 
drill and other subjects, in order to attain discipline 
and maintain a standard equal to that of a line or- 
ganization. 

BREEDING 

After the war started in 1914, large numbers of 
animals were purchased in this country and shipped to 
Europe for war purposes. When the United States en- 
tered the war, and proceeded to purchase animals for 
war work, it very soon became evident to the purchasing 
officers that animals suited for cavalry and riding pur- 
poses were none too plentiful and also that animals 
suitable for draft purposes could be obtained with little 
difficulty in sufficient numbers. 

As time went on, it was noticed that the officers pur- 
chased fewer good type cavalry horses and accepted 
many narrow-chested, weak-loined, light-boned animals 
that showed very little quality and lacked the essential 
breeding and conformation so important in the cavalry 
horse. These conditions not only demonstrated the 
fact that suitable cavalry horses were scarce throughout 



266 THE QUARTERMASTER CORPS 

the country, but that future requirements could not be 
met unless prompt and efficient measures were adopted 
to encourage the breeding of the riding horse. In cer- 
tain sections of the country where racing, hunting, and 
horse shows were kept up a better type of riding horse 
was found. 

The Bureau of Animal Industry had encouraged the 
breeding of good riding horses by placing approved stal- 
lions at various parts of the country for the use of 
breeders, but this work had been conducted on such a 
small scale that only about 700 colts, the offspring of 
sires placed by the Bureau of Animal Industry, were 
offered for sale to the Government that year. After 
consultation with the representative of the Bureau of 
Animal Industry, the Remount Division obtained au- 
thority to establish at Fort Reno, Fort Keogh and Front 
Royal small breeding organizations where a few mares 
could be kept for breeding purposes with the object of 
producing a suitable type of cavalry horse. Authority 
was also obtained to accept such stallions as might be 
presented to the Government and to purchase others. 

The prime object of the War Department and the 
Bureau of Animal Industry in this work was to pro- 
duce the type of animal desired for cavalry work and 
to encourage and assist the farmer and breeder in pro- 
ducing this type in sufficient numbers to supply the 
needs of the Government. 

The following table shows the list of the principal 
vehicles and harness items contracted for, total deliv- 
eries made, unit money value of each, and the total 



EEMOUNT DIVISIOIT 



267 



money value of the items contracted for June 30, 1917, 
to June 30, 1918: 



Unit 

Number money Total 

contracted Number value value 
Items for delivered of each of contracts 

Combat wagons 15,500 7,000 $525.00 $8,137,500 

Escort wagons 91,728 30,000 210.00 19,262,880 

Water carts 13,500 13,000 275.00 3,712,500 

Ration carts 12,000 7,000 125.00 1,500,000 

Medical carts 2.500 2,500 150.00 375,000 

Ambulances 3,500 3,500 350.00 1,225,000 

Aparejos 40,250 3,000 80.00 3.220,000 

Halters 1,500,000 1,300,000 3.00 4,500,000 

The purchases are given to include June 30, 1918, 
for the reason that the contracts for same were made in 
1917 as above stated. 



PURCHASE OF HORSES AND MULES 



Average Price Paid in the United States and France 

HOUSES MULES 

Pack 
Light Heavy and 

Cavalry Artillery Artillery Young Wheel Riding Lead 

In United States.. $161.71 $188.21 $221.9.5 $142.59 $228.86 $184.24 $189.38 

In France 267.54 295.71 377.38 309.33 254.35 308.33 

In United States 

and France 178.23 207.07 339.48 230.15 207.00 189.38 

The number of animals purchased is given in the 
accompanying table, to include June 30, 1918, as in 
order to secure transportation to carry the troops to 
France in the spring of 1918, the shipment of animals 
was discontinued in March, 1918, and orders to dis- 
continue purchases then given. 



268 THE QUARTERMASTER CORPS 






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KEMOUNT DIVISION 269 

Losses from April 6, 1917, to June 30, 1918 

HORSES MULES 
Light Heavy 

Cavalry Artillery Wheel Lead Pack Total 
Condemned and 

sold 4,991 1,232 243 516 297 322 7,601 

Destroyed 1,090 1,256 50 374 303 67 3,140 

Died 4,795 10,919 908 1,342 1,156 188 19,308 

Other causes ... . 189 211 ... 96 115 16 627 

Lost in France 4,625 349 ... 4,974 



Criticism has been made of the purchase of 1,300,000 
halters for a total of about 270,000 animals. It must 
be remembered that the character of the war in France 
developed along such lines that cavalry was not used 
to the extent anticipated when the original plans were 
made, nor was it anticipated that the shipment of ani- 
mals abroad would be entirely discontinued, or that 
war could possibly be terminated by November 11, 
1918. 

In October, 1917, it was ascertained that the prices 
paid for animals of the same type by the allies and 
ourselves were different. A conference was called in 
the Office of the Quartermaster General and was at- 
tended by the following : representing the British Army, 
General Gunning, Chief of Eemounts, Colonel Bate and 
Captain Brydges ; of the French Army, Colonel Couste 
and Captain Reinach-Werth ; the Italian Army, Colonel 
Hinoldi; Messrs. Gifford and Preston Davis of the 
Council of National Defense; Colonel John S. Fair, 
Chief of the Remount Division, Lieutenant Colonel R. 
H. Williams, Jr., and Major Hayden Channing of our 
Remount Service. 



270 THE QUAETERMASTER CORPS 

As a result of this meeting Colonel Bate, of the 
British Army, and Captain Reinach-Werth of the 
French Army, were attached to the Chief of Remounts 
as liaison officers. Both these officers were of great as- 
sistance as they had had considerable experience. 

Colonel John S. Fair organized the Remount Di- 
vision and the Remount Service and deserves credit 
for the excellent results obtained and the efficient or- 
ganization created. He was ably assisted by Colonel 
Matt C. Bristol, Lieutenant Colonel R. H. Williams, 
Jr., Major Hayden Channing and to Majors W. W. 
West and A. A. Cederwald, Colonels Winterbum, Val- 
entine and Munro had charge of the western purchasing 
zones, and handled the work there in an able and effi- 
cient manner. Great credit is due to the work per- 
formed at the school for the squadrons organized at 
Camp Joseph E. Johnston, Jacksonville, Florida, for 
the reports of the organizations sent to France from that 
school were most favorable. 

It is regretted that records are not available to cite 
the work done by the other members of the Remount 
Service. The excellence of the work done by that 
Service was recognized, and the members of it have 
reason to feel a commendable pride in the accomplish- 
ments to which they so materially contributed. 



VII 



WAEEHOUSING DIVISION 

Duties assigned to Warehousing Division — Two classes of Quarter- 
master Depots — Storage Depot at Boston — Functions of the 
six branches of Warehousing Division, 

One of the duties imposed by law upon the Quar- 
termaster Corps was that of constructing or renting 
such buildings as were required for the Army. Early in 
the war the legislation then enacted allowed other Sup- 
ply Departments to undertake construction or to lease 
such buildings as they required. Several of them estab- 
lished a constructing force in their own departments, 
and thus provided for their own requirements either 
by new construction or by leases. 

So that, at the beginning of the war the policy of 
centralization which had previously been established for 
many years, as far as relates to construction was 
changed, and a policy of decentralization adopted in- 
stead. It is a fact that the Ordnance Department was 
allowed by law to undertake such construction as was 
authorized from time to time at the arsenals. But the 
general policy as regards construction had been that of 
centralizing such work in the Quartermaster Corps. 
The General Depots of the Quartermaster Corps were 
located at various places throughout the country, and 

271 



272 THE QUAETERMASTER CORPS 

at the beginning of the war the officers in command of 
these Depots were authorized to provide such additional 
storage space as would be needed at their depots, either 
bj having temporary structures erected or by leasing 
any available buildings. In some instances, it was 
necessary to lease buildings when the cost of construc- 
tion exceeded the amount which the law placed as a 
limit. 

On August 15, 1917, by Office Order No. 76, a Stor- 
age Branch was created in the Supplies Division of 
the Office of the Quartermaster General. 

As the necessity arose of more fully coordinating the 
work of the depots and to exercise a greater supervision 
over them, by Office Order ISTo. 116, dated October 16, 
1917, the Warehousing Division was created, and the 
Storage Branch of the Supplies Division and also the 
Cable Service and Overseas Shipment Branch of the 
Administration Division were merged into it. By 
Office Order l>lo. 116, of I^ovember 8, 1917, the duties 
assigned to the Warehousing Division were defined, as 
follows : 

"1. To ascertain the storage needs of the Quarter- 
master Corps, and in cooperation with Depot Quarter- 
masters, to provide and administer all storage and ware- 
housing facilities and operations incident thereto. 

"2. To standardize and supervise the physical lay- 
out and administrative organization of depots and to 
coordinate the services of the several depots. 

''3. To maintain a statistics branch which shall re- 
ceive, calculate and chart in accordance with scientific 
statistical methods, all significant data pertaining to 



WAKEHOUSING DIVISIOE" 2Y3 

amount of supplies needed, contracted for, in process 
of delivery, on hand, issued, etc. 

"4. To handle all cablegrams and requisitions re- 
ceived from the Commanding General, Expeditionary 
Forces in Europe." 

In order to accomplish the above designated func- 
tions, it was enjoined that: 

The Warehousing Division will have authority in 
matters pertaining to the location, design and equipment 
of depots, the apportionment and distribution of sup- 
plies prior to their delivery to depots. 

The Warehousing Division shall imake a careful 
study of warehousing methods and organization, and 
of existing practices of Quartermaster Depots, with a 
.view to a coordination and improvement of such depots, 
and shall install such statistical methods and devices as 
may be deemed necessary. 

The Warehousing Division will prepare statements of 
amounts of supplies needed, giving the rate at which 
delivery should be required. It will maintain a statis- 
tical branch which shall obtain all data regarding the 
quantity of supplies ordered, delivered, issued and re- 
maining on hand. 

All statistical data pertaining to the above now being 
kept in other branches or divisions of this office will be 
transferred to the Warehousing Division together with 
the personnel used exclusively for tabulating such data, 
time for this transfer to be arranged between divisions 
concerned. 

The Warehousing Division will furnish such ex- 



274 THE QUAETEKMASTER CORPS 

tracts of data compiled as may be required by other 
divisions and branches of this office. 

At the beginning of the war there were two classes 
of Quartermaster Depots: 

1. The General Depots of the Corps, as those at 
N^ew York, Philadelphia, etc. Such Depots carried a 
certain quantity of supplies, and received and shipped 
these to the various posts. The personnel was well 
trained in the work, and was fairly adequate to insure 
efficiency and dispatch in executing the work at the 
Depots. In the preceding month of March at the re- 
quest of the Quartermaster General and with the ap- 
proval of the Secretary of War, certain expert and ex- 
perienced business men had been designated by the 
President of the ISTational Chamber of Commerce, and 
the officials of the New York Merchants' Association, 
as members of a Committee to act in an advisory ca- 
pacity to the Depot Quartermasters. Mr. E. D. Page 
was chairman of the Advisory Committee for the New 
York Depot. This Committee, on its own initiative 
and expense engaged the services of an expert business 
engineer and accountant to examine the methods of 
organization and administration of the Depot, the 
forms in use for transacting the business, and the gen- 
eral arrangement of the Depot to insure the efficient 
handling and prompt dispatch of the supplies. 

The expert's report approved of the organization and 
methods of administration. Five years previously a 
firm of business engineers and accountants had for 
nearly one year been engaged to study the methods of 



WAREHOUSING DIVISION 275 

tiie Quartermaster Corps and suggest plans for im- 
provements. It may be stated that the other General 
Depots of the Quartermaster Corps were organized and 
administered in the same manner as the New York 
Depot. 

Boards of Officers and Committees of Experts on 
the business methods of the War Department had recom- 
mended and the instructions of Secretaries of War in 
the past had directed a reduction in the number of 
blank forms, so it was not possible to have the forms used 
at Depots printed and supplied by the War Department. 
Each Depot had authority to have the necessary forms 
printed. The forms used at each Depot were com- 
pared and effort made to standardize them as much as 
the local conditions made possible. For instance, a 
form used at the New York Depot which pertained to 
clothing made under contract was not suitable for use 
at the Jeffersonville Depot where the clothing was made 
by sewing women. 

The regulations prescribing the organization, and 
methods of administration of Depots are contained in 
the Quartermaster's Corps Manual. This is a compila- 
tion in two volumes, of the combined knowledge and ex- 
perience of all the officers and men of the Army, who for 
nearly 150 years have contributed to and participated 
in the work of the Corps. It was prepared by a Board 
of Officers composed of Colonel Frank L. Armstrong, 
Lieutenant Colonel Thomas L. Smith and Major Ezra 
Davis; recognized by all who were brought in contact 
with them as eminently qualified and thoroughly com- 



276 THE QUAETEEMASTER CORPS 

petent to perforin the work. Several of tlie civilians 
who contributed so ablj to assist in carrying on the 
work of the war, have handsomely expressed their ap- 
preciation of the assistance received by them from the 
individual members of that Board, stating that with-^ 
out that assistance they, those civilians, would probably 
not have been able to carry through the work. 

That Board also prepared a Table of Allowances foi; 
the Army, which Table it is very doubtful that any one, 
or all, of the experts called into the service could have 
prepared, as they were lacking the background and the 
experience necessary in its preparation. These state- 
ments are made merely to indicate that the criticism 
made that there were no regulations prescribing the 
methods of administration of the Depots or stating that 
nothing had been prepared in the army showing the re- 
quirements was not justified by the facts, and did not 
indicate a familiarity with those two publications. The 
civilian who advised officers of the Quartermaster Corps 
to throw away their copies of the Quartermaster Corps 
Manual undoubtedly was aware of its existence, but 
surely was not familiar with its contents. 

A statement had been made that freight cars were 
being held to store army supplies, and at once an in- 
vestigation was made to ascertain if this referred to 
Quartermaster Corps property. The investigation re- 
vealed the fact that the cars containing such property 
were promptly unloaded upon receipt. In one case 
about thirty-three cars were held for three or four days, 
over Sunday, by the Depot Quartermaster at ISTew York. 



WAKEHOUSII^G DIVISION^ 277 

That was the only instance, and while, because of the 
urgency of other work, there might have been some jus- 
tification, instructions were given to prevent a recur- 
rence of such delay in the future. It must be noted that 
other Supply Departments as well as the Shipping 
Board were making shipments by freight and express, 
and also that the Embarkation Service controlled all 
shipments of troops and supplies moving to the Ports of 
Embarkation, and that the Quartermaster Corps had 
no control over the shipments or arrangements concern- 
ing storage for them, as a policy of decentralization in 
such matters had been adopted and its results were 
being demonstrated. 

2. The other type of Quarteimaster Depot was 
really only a purchasing station. At the beginning of 
the War the Depot in Boston was of such character. 
That Depot simply executed the contracts made by the 
Philadelphia Depot for such supplies as any contractor 
in the vicinity of Boston specified in his proposal for 
delivery in that city. There was practically no stor- 
age space at that Depot and no supplies were carried on 
hand. There were rooms available in which the sup- 
plies were received and after inspection these supplies 
would be at once shipped to a Storage Depot, such as 
New York or Philadelphia. There was quite a large 
force of clerks and inspectors assigned to the Boston 
Depot, and as at times contractors frequently elected to 
make deliveries under their contracts at the Philadel- 
phia Depot, where there was an adequate force of 
inspectors to handle the ordinary amount of work at 



278 THE QUARTEEMASTEK CORPS 

that depot, it often resulted that there was not sufficient 
work at the Boston Depot to justify the retention of the 
men. Consequently, as a matter of expense, the In- 
spectors General had for four or five years prior to 1917 
recommended the abolishment of that depot. 

The men would be given the alternative of accepting 
a leave of absence without pay, or taking a temporary 
transfer to a Depot where their services were needed. 
These facts are recited to make clear the conditions 
which existed at such stations as Boston, Portland, Ore- 
gon, Kansas City, Mo., and others. 

Almost over night the necessity arose of making the 
Boston Depot a large storage depot. The Commanding 
Officer was authorized to lease all the storage space re- 
quired, and to employ the necessary clerical force and 
others needed to handle the depot. No competent chief 
clerk or storekeeper or others familiar with Depot work 
in the Civil Service force of the Corps were available 
at that time. The Depot Quartermaster did the best 
possible under the circumstances and the conditions then 
existing, and secured such storage space as was avail- 
able, which of course was in separate buildings necessi- 
tating double handling of the supplies and a large num- 
ber of men. 

The urgency was great as Boston was to be the sup- 
ply depot for Camp Devens, and it was necessary to 
get the supplies and have them ready for prompt ship- 
ment to the camp as soon as the building there could 
be constructed to accommodate them, and as stated it is 



WAREHOUSING DIVISION" 279 

thought that the Depot Quartermaster acted wisely and 
did the best possible under the circumstances. 

Later it was ascertained that the Ford Motor Com- 
pany Assembling Plant at Cambridge would for the 
time being afford a possible solution of the problem. 
The Quartermaster General about August 1st, wired 
Mr. Henry Ford at Detroit, Michigan, stating the con- 
ditions and asking if consent to the Government's oc- 
cupancy of the Plant by August 15th, would be given. 
A reply was received almost at once acceding to the re- 
quest and handsomely turning over the property to the 
Quartermaster Corps by AugTist 15th on such terms 
for its occupancy as the Government itself would make. 
This splendid offer was taken advantage of at the 
earliest possible date. 

Some time antedating the occupancy of the Ford 
Plant, at the direction of the Depot Committee of the 
Council of National Defense an Expert was sent to 
inspect the Depot at Boston. The report submitted 
showed that the depot was scattered in separate build- 
ings, that there was not an adequate trained force 
of skilled storage men, that the proper blank forms for 
transacting the business were not used, that the un- 
loading and piling of the stores were done by hand with 
only such accessories as a few hand trucks, that there 
were no mechanical conveyors, piling machines or elec- 
tric trucks on hand. 

The time of the Officers in the OSice of the Quarter- 
master General, as well as that of the Depot Quarter- 
master had to be devoted to giving consideration to that 



280 THE QUARTEEMASTEK CORPS 

report and making explanations of the conditions and 
the circumstances surrounding the particular ease, 
which could have been ascertained by a proper investiga- 
tion on the ground. This time was most vital and 
important at that instant. 

It would be brutal and inhuman to criticize a man, 
who was known to be both totally blind and deaf for 
falling into a depression, when passing along an unfa- 
miliar road ; but, if it were known that a man possessing 
extraordinary powers of sight and hearing should in 
the clearest daylight deliberately walk into a depression 
even on an unfamiliar road, one might be surprised, 
even if not prone to be critical. 

Realizing the conditions before related, and being 
most anxious to secure every possible assistance for the 
Corps, in the solution of the many and great problems 
which were presented to it, and also to secure assistance 
for the chief of the Warehousing Division in carrying 
out the work assigned to him, the Quartermaster Gen- 
eral consulted the Chairman of the Depot Committee 
requesting the suggestion of some one who would be 
of assistance. Upon the suggestion of the Chairman a 
telegram was sent on October 19, 1917, to Mr. H. B. 
Thayer, then President of the Western Electric Com- 
pany, now the President of the American Telephone and 
Telegraph Company, by the Quartermaster General 
as follows : 

"Can you send a man to "Washington, Monday or Tuesday 
of next week to help design and install record and stockkeep- 
ing system for Quartermaster Corps?" 



WAREHOUSING DIVISION" 281 

In response to foregoing telegram Mr. Thayer, Presi- 
dent of the Western Electric Company, sent Mr. O. D. 
Street, General Manager of Distribution, to Washing- 
ton on October 22nd. 

During the interview the Quartermaster General 
requested Mr. Street to remain in Washington to as- 
sist Major A. E. Williams in organizing the Ware- 
housing Division. The request was referred to Mr. 
Thayer who replied that the Western Electric Com- 
pany would be glad to lend Mr. Street's services to the 
Government, and also the services of several experts 
who were Mr. Street's assistants. 

Inquiry was made concerning the reason for assign- 
ing the Requirements and Statistical branches to the 
Warehousing Division, and it was explained that while 
the Requirements branch was in existence it was 
thought, to need proper development, and that the Sta- 
tistical Branch was a new suggestion. It was thought, 
however, that Mr. Street's experience would materially 
assist in its proper organization and development. 

The subjects of statistics and graphical charts were 
entirely new to the War Department. Effort had been 
made back in 1892 to induce the War Department to 
recog-nize the importance of the study of statistics and 
the development of graphical charts. A supply map of 
the State of Oregon had been prepared in a crude form 
and forwarded as an illustration of the suggestion 
made. In 1893 the publication of a small book again 
sought to direct attention to this important matter, and 
again in 1905 another book referred to the matter and 



282 THE QUARTERMASTER CORPS 

pointed out the valuable works published by Levasseur, 
Cheysson, Bertillon and other eminent writers in 
France. 

Our Army, however, had not taken up the subjects 
and it was realized that at that time it was possible to 
secure adequate funds for so necessary work, and as 
in Commercial business such methods had been in use 
for some years, it was thought that a man of Mr. Street's 
experience would enable the work to be successfully 
undertaken. 

The plan finally adopted was to establish six branches 
in the Warehousing Division as follows: 

1. Requirements Branch 

2. Factory Scheduling Branch 

3. Statistical Branch 

4. Overseas Service Branch 

5. Depot Supervision Branch 

6. Administrative Branch 

The functions assigned to each of the branches were 
as follows : 

Function of Requirements Branch: To determine 
requirements of Quartermasters supples adequate to 
supply the needs of an army of predetermined size ; and 
determine the monthly rate at which these supplies will 
be needed. 

To keep up to date the Quartermasters' Manual. 

To compute, classify and tabulate all data having to 
do with tonnage, weight and cubical contents of Quar- 
termasters' supplies which the other branches may from 
time to time require. 



WAREHOUSING DIVISION 283 

To equate specific requirements as may be requested 
by other branches. 

Function of Factory Scheduling Branch: To dis- 
tribute the supplies as turned out by the factories which 
are working on Government contracts based on knowl- 
edge as to where and when they are needed. 

Function of Statistical Branch: To maintain card 
records of all contracts placed, and record thereon de- 
liveries made under each contract. 

To prepare charts showing graphically the status of 
contracts. 

To maintain card records of stocks on hand at each 
depot. 

Function of Overseas Service Branch: To see that 
all orders placed by oversea forces are shipped promptly 
and completely. 

To maintain the records incident to these orders. 

To handle all inquiries relative to these orders. 

Function of Depot Supervision Branch: To pro- 
vide sufiicient and proper storage facilities at interior 
depots, at the oversea depots and at points of manu- 
facture. 

To determine the proper and most efiicient form of 
organization for each depot. 

To prescribe what forms shall be used and what meth- 
ods of procedure shall be followed. 

To see that these forms and methods are standardized 
and used at each depot. 

To determine the manner in which the merchandise 
at the depots shall be stored and handled to the end that 



284 THE QUAKTEKMASTEK COEPS 

this work may be done in an orderly and efficient man- 
ner. 

To see that the depots are properly safeguarded 
against loss or damage by fire, loss by theft, or destruc- 
tion by acts of the enemy. 

Function of Administrative Branch: To supervise 
the employment of help. 

To have supervision of the files. 

To have supervision of the Mailing Department. 

To prepare and standardize all printed forms and 
routines. 

To prepare and issue for the Commanding Officer all 
Divisional instructions. 

To have supervision of the central stenographic and 
typing division. 

To maintain stocks of stationery and office equipment. 

To have supervision of all messengers. 

To determine the allotment of office space. 

To supervise all office layouts. 

To have supervision of the building — the care and 
upkeep thereof. 

The organization above outlined v^^as submitted to 
the Secretary of War and received his approval, and 
as it v^^as demonstrated to be impossible, because of the 
urgency of having the Division in effective operation, to 
find sufficient number of civilians with proper ex- 
perience beyond the draft age, permission was given 
to commission men of the draft age who had the neces- 
sary experience. 

For the purpose of standardizing warehouse meth- 



WAEEHOUSmG DIVISION" 285 

ods and practices at all depots inspections were made 
of the several depots. As a result of these inspections 
a complete set of warehouse and office forms was pre- 
pared, also a set of Stores Instructions giving informa- 
tion as to the method of preparing each form, when and 
by whom. 

Stock maintenance cards were designed and routines 
covering the operation thereof prepared. Complete 
sets of receiving and shipping forms were also prepared, 
together with routines affecting them. Instnictions 
were prepared showing in detail the method of han- 
dling questions of sei*vice, assembling, packing and 
marking same, handling of shipping papers, the prop- 
erty accounts, etc. 

These forms were later adopted as standards for all 
Supply Departments of the Army, when, after the pas- 
sage of the Overman law in the spring of 1918, the 
warehousing functions of all the Supply Departments 
were placed under one control, that of the Director of 
Purchasing, Storage and Traffic. 

The Cablegram and Overseas Shipments Branch or- 
ganized in the Office continued throughout to function 
in the manner originally prescribed. The following 
is a detail of its organization and methods of procedure : 

A Branch in the office of the Quartermaster General 
of the Army known as the Cable Service & Overseas 
Shipments Branch was organized shortly after the 
United States entered the world war. This Branch 
was charged with the handling of all cable services of 
the Quartermaster Corps with the American Expedi- 



286 THE QUAETERMASTER CORPS 

tionary Forces in France and with the supervision of 
the shipment of all Quartei-masters' supplies to the 
troops in France. M. S. Keene, then Captain, Quar- 
termaster Corps, was ordered to Washington for duty 
in the office of the Quartermaster General and assigned 
to this Branch. At that time little or no thought or 
attention had heen given to these matters and the office 
force consisted of two clerks. This force was increased 
in the course of two months to some fifty officers and 
seventy-five clerks. 

In the handling of the cablegram service the system 
inaugurated in this Branch for service in the Quarter- 
master General's office was later standardized for all the 
bureaus of the War Department. Cablegrams were 
received decoded, and such parts thereof with which the 
various divisions of the Quartermaster General's office 
were concerned were referred to those interested therein. 
A follow-up on all cablegrams received and all those sent 
to France was maintained and no draft of a reply to 
the forces in France was authorized to be released until 
it had been viseed in this Branch to insure that all the 
requirements in the original cablegram had been ful- 
filled. In connection with this cable service, the Com- 
manding General of the American Expeditionary 
Forces instead of frequently cabling for supplies, sent 
by cable during the war to the Quartermaster General's 
office many automatic requisitions for various supplies 
which were based upon the number of troops in France, 
the number scheduled to proceed thereto and the number 
that were actually en route. To determine definitely 



WABEHOUSIKG DIVISION 287 

the actual quantity of supplies that should be ordered 
and shipped, it was necessary that a vei-y close liaison 
be maintained with the Division of the General Staff 
which was charged with troop movements. 

At first troop movement information was not pos- 
sible to be obtained, and no end of confusion resulted 
either in over or under shipments of supplies. Upon 
repeated complaints by the officer in charge of this 
Branch to the Adjutant General of the Army, necessary 
arrangements were finally made whereby this confi- 
dential information was made available to all of the 
Supply Departments. The Cable Service & Overseas 
Shipments Branch periodically informed the various 
Divisions in the office of the Quartermaster General of 
the Army relative to the time when supplies were re- 
quired on automatic requisitions referred to above and 
when the supplies should be released for shipment. 
This Branch did not attempt to actually order specific 
quantities of any commodity, but after orders had been 
placed for supplies for the American Expeditionary 
Forces, they were invariably checked and if the appro- 
priate quantity of supplies had not been ordered, neces- 
sary action would be taken looking toward effecting an 
increase. This service therefore provided a check and 
follow-up on all of the operating Divisions in the Quar- 
termaster General's office. 

No record of any character was maintained in con- 
nection with the first shipments of Quartermasters' sup- 
plies to France. Orders for supplies were placed and 
in view of the chaotic conditions no follow-up thereon 



288 THE QUAETERMASTEE COEPS 

was maintained nor was the status thereof known until 
the receipt of a cable from France requesting informa- 
tion relative to the shipment of any specific commodity 
or commodities. Frequently the Quartermaster Gen- 
eral was called upon by the members of Congress, the 
Secretary of War and various members of the General 
Staff relative to the status of orders received for ship- 
ment to France. This information invariably would 
necessitate knowing not only the actual quantity of the 
various commodities on order, but the quantity that 
was actually on the rails en route to the ports of em- 
barkation for shipment, the quantity that might have 
been at seaports awaiting shipments and also the quan- 
tity that was on the high seas. 

When the first shipment of supplies went forward to 
France many complaints were received resulting there- 
from. For example, large shipments of escort wagons 
were forwarded to Newport JSTews, Virginia. In the 
loading of the ships the bodies of escort wagons which 
were knocked down would be loaded on one vessel and 
the wheels, axles and whipple^trees, etc., on another. 
The ships would leave the port with clearance papers for 
the same port in France and while under way one of 
the ships would be diverted to another port. This 
would result in the following conditions: The wagon 
bodies would reach one port and the other accessories 
necessary for the assembling of the wagons would ar- 
rive at another some four hundred or five hundred miles 
distant. This was a condition over which the office of 
the Quartermaster General had no control as the trans- 



WAEEHOUSING DIYISI0:N' 289 

portation service at that time was not under his juris- 
diction. However, the condition was afterwards largely- 
rectified as a result of instructions issued from the 
Cable Service & Overseas Shipments Branch to the ef- 
fect that wagons complete must be loaded on the same 
ship. 

A system was inaugurated in this Branch which en- 
abled the Quartermaster General and his office to know 
at all times the status of any requisition for supplies and 
all shipments made thereunder. The system showed for 
any order the date of receipt thereof, when shipments 
were made, the quantity of the commodity that was 
shipped, the date of its arrival at the port, the total 
quantity at the port awaiting shipment, the quantity 
and date when loaded, and the name of ship upon which 
loaded and date of arrival in France. If, therefore, we 
had been unfortunate enough to lose any of our ships 
carrying troops and supplies to France, all of the Quar- 
termasters' supplies that were on any ship that was lost 
could thus have been immediately reordered, with no 
delay that would otherwise have been attendant. All 
shipments were traced and necessary action taken look- 
ing toward providing rolling stock, for the Companies 
making shipments, by this Branch. 

This Branch also prepared the first packing regula- 
tions that were issued to the army, and in addition 
thereto originated the baling of blankets, clothing, shoes 
and other similar commodities instead of shipping 
them in wooden or other containers, thereby greatly con- 
serving the limited amount of space available for the 



290 THE QUAETEEMASTER CORPS 

shipment of Quartermasters' supplies. Periodically 
the cubical contents of supplies that were under orders 
for shipment to France were given to the General Staff 
so that an appropriate amount of space on the ships 
would be made available for the shipment of these sup- 
plies. This system as herein outlined was standardized 
for all the bureaus of the War Department. 

Captain R. H. Hess, Q. M. Reserve Corps, was as- 
signed to the charge of the Statistical Branch, which 
before January 1st numbered approximately fifty of- 
ficers and clerks. Early in November this Branch pre- 
pared the first graphic charts showing estimated re- 
quirements, the status of stocks on hand, unfilled con- 
tracts and the condition of unfilled orders. 

On the recommendation of Mr. Street the following 
were given commissions and assigned to duty: Major 
Frederick L. Devereux in charge of the Requirements 
Branch; Major J. R. Orton, assistant to Major Dever- 
eux; Major George F. Perkins, in charge of Adminis- 
trative Branch. Major Frederick B. Wells, formerly 
Vice President of Peavy and Company of Minneapolis, 
was assigned to the charge of the Depot Supervision 
Branch. 

By December 31, 191Y, the personnel of the Ware- 
housing Division had increased from approximately fif- 
teen to 350 commissioned officers and civilian em- 
ployees, both included. 

Major Frederick L. Devereux, was subsequently pro- 
moted to Lieutenant-Colonel and placed in charge of the 



WAEEHOUSING DIVISION 291 

work of preparing the Requirements for the entire 
Army. 

Major Frederick B. Wells, was assigned as Chief of 
the Warehousing Division when Lieutenant Colonel 
A. E. Williams was ordered for duty in France. Later, 
after the passage of the Overman law when the con- 
solidation was affected, he was made a Colonel and as- 
signed to duty on the General Staff as Director of Stor- 
age, thus being in charge of all warehousing and storage 
problems for the army. 

The men recommended for commission by Mr. Street 
remained, almost without exception, in the service and 
performed efficient work during the war. The credit 
of securing an efficient and adequate personnel, of per- 
fecting the plan for a proper organization and an effi- 
cient administration, and outlining the basic principles 
to effect the same is due to Mr. O. D. Street, the Gen- 
eral Manager of Distribution of the Western Electric 
Company. Acknowledgments are due to the patriotic 
spirit shown by Mr. Theodore N. Vail, then President 
of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, 
and to Mr. H. B. Thayer, then President of the Western 
Electric Company, in placing the services of so many 
of tlie officials of their companies at the disposal of the 
Government, as without such action on their part the 
organization of the Warehousing Division might not 
have been possible, certainly not in the incredibly short 
space of time in which it was accomplished. 



VIII 
CONSTRUCTION DIVISION 

Fourteen training camps for officers — Refrigerating plants for 
use in France — Mechanical repair shop units. 

This Division had charge of all new construction at 
posts and the repairs necessary to all buildings. Early 
in April, 1917, the War Department authorities decided 
that fourteen training camps for officers would be es- 
tablished at various posts throughout the country. 
These camps were to have a total capacity of about 40,- 
000 men and were to be opened about the 15th of May. 
Thus a little more than a month was given in which to 
have the buildings ready for occupancy. Temporary 
buildings had to be provided as there was not an avail- 
able supply of tents on hand. 

There was not time to advertise for proposals, and a 
number of thoroughly competent and reliable construc- 
tors were called to the Office of the Quartermaster Gen- 
eral and expressed their willingness to undertake the 
work. As the time was so short it was not possible to 
secure prices for the material, and as the men would 
have to be paid for overtime, they were unable to quote 
a price for undertaking the work, but agreed to do so if 
p.iid a commission in addition to the cost of the work. 

292 



CONSTEUCTION DIVISION 293 

There was no alternative and as these men had their 
organizations in existence the offer was accepted. A 
form of contract was prepared and submitted to the 
Auditor of the War Department. Modifications were 
necessary and to save vital time the Quartermaster Gen- 
eral notified each of the contractors in writing that the 
contract would be awarded to him when drawn in ac- 
ceptable form, provided he would undertake to begin 
work at once upon the receipt of such notification. 

The work was commenced immediately, at one post 
within an hour after the receipt of the letter above re- 
ferred to, and was completed in time to receive the 
student officers on the date fixed by the War De- 
partment. 

Mr. L. B. Wehle, who was Counsel for the War 
Finance Corporation of the Treasury Department, and 
also on the Legal Committee of the General Munitions 
Board rendered great assistance in the drafting of the 
form of contract which met the approval of the Account- 
ing Officers of the Treasury Department, The amount 
involved in this transaction was many millions of dol- 
lars. 

Shortly after the arrival of the A. E. F. Headquar- 
ters in France request was received for a refrigerating 
plant capable of storing 5,000 tons of beef and of pro- 
ducing 500 tons of ice daily. The Construction Division 
was directed to supply the necessary machinery, pro- 
vide for its shipment to France, and secure the necessary 
machinists and skilled workmen to erect the building 
and install the machinery, and also to create an organ- 



294 THE QUAETEEMASTER CORPS 

ization to operate the plant. It was found that one of 
the Packing Companies in Chicago had on hand new 
machinery for a Refrigerating Plant of the capacity 
desired which was to be erected for its own use in this 
country. Upon learning that the Government wished 
to install such a plant in France, the Company turned 
over the machinery to it. 

The machinery was secured and shipped to France 
with a requisite force to construct the buildings and in- 
stall the machinery and an Ice Plant Company was 
organized and sent over to operate the plant. This plant 
was installed at Gievres in France, and its actual ca- 
pacity was 9,000 tons but at one time there were 20,000,- 
000 pounds (ten thousand tons) of beef in storage. The 
cost of the machinery, erection of plant and its installa- 
tion was approximately $1,000,000. Anticipating that 
other plants would be required orders were given the 
Construction Division to secure the machinery, and 
equipment for two additional plants. 

The purchase was made and the machinery, etc., 
shipped to France. One of the plants was erected at 
Basseus near Bordeaux. The original design called for 
6,000 tons of carcass beef storage and the prodyiction 
of 600 tons of ice daily. As practically no ice was 
produced, the capacity of the plant was 7,000 tons of 
carcass beef, though at one time there were 16,000,000 
pounds, 8,000 tons, of beef in storage. 

The machinery for another refrigerating plant was 
in France, secured in compliance with the instructions 
above referred to, and it is understood that just before 



COlSrSTRUCTION DIVISION 295 

the Armistice was signed it was contemplated to erect 
a third refrigerating plant in the vicinity of Chaumont. 
This plant would have been of about the same capacity 
as the others. 

At times it was difficult to secure in this country the 
ammonia required by the refrigerating plants, but the 
supply at no time failed, and it is understood that there 
were no losses of beef or other articles in storage in 
the two refrigerating plants in France. 

When the United States entered the war two of the 
greatest difficulties it had to contend with were time and 
distance; time, in which to organize, clothe, equip and 
train the troops, and provide the necessary supplies for 
their maintenance in the theater of operations; and 
second, the distance which the men and supplies had to 
be transported to the theater of operations. Tonnage 
was therefore the vital element of the problem of sup- 
ply. In order to make the greatest possible use of the 
tonnage available it was necessary to get the maximum 
wear and use from the material shipped to France. This 
same problem had confronted both the French and the 
British authorities, and the reports submitted by our 
Military Attaches, which stated in a general way the 
methods taken to meet these difficulties, had been care- 
fully studied in the Office of the Quartermaster Gen- 
eral prior to our entrance into the war. Fortunately 
Brigadier General (then Colonel) Thomas Heron, C. 
B., of the British Army was on duty in the Office of the 
Quartermaster General. This officer had assisted in 
organizing and planning the first Salvage Depot which 



296 THE QUARTEEMASTEK CORPS 

the British Army established in France, and his advice 
and assistance was of inestimable value at a critical 
time. His fundamental principle was that it was far 
better to err in having a plant too large than not tq 
have one large enough to meet the needs. That was thel 
principle adopted in forming the Mechanical Repair 
Shop Units, and the instructions given to Colonel Fur- 
low and Colonel Hegeman were to provide the men and 
machinery required to meet any call upon such Units. 
Colonel Furlow had charge of the work in the office and 
Colonel Hegeman was designated to accompany the 
units over to France and have charge of the work there. 

The Mechanical Repair Shop Units were organized, 
trained and equipped at Camp Meigs, Washington, a 
training camp for the Quartermaster Corps enlisted per- 
sonnel. When first formed these units were organized 
to handle all Quartermaster repair and salvage, i. e. 
repair and salvage of motor and animal drawn vehicles, 
clothing, shoes, tentage and harness, and arrived in 
France ready to undertake such work. It was decided, 
however, to separate the work and that their function 
should be the repair of vehicles only. Accordingly, the 
personnel and equipment for repairing clothing, shoes, 
tentage and harness were detached, but the repair and 
salvage of animal drawn vehicles remained with these 
units, as the machinery equipment was to a large extent 
necessary for the repair of both motor and animal drawn 
vehicles, and yet not capable of division to permit of 
operation in two separate plants. 

The first Motor Repair Shops were located for a while 



CON'STEUCTION DIVISIOl^ 297 

at JSTevers, and later the large plant at Verneuil were 
established under the command of Colonel Hegeman. 

The Salvage Depot was located at St. Pierre des 
Corps, and to that station were transferred the person- 
nel and equipment for repairing clothing, shoes, tentage 
and harness. 

It was the opinion that the country was committed 
to preparing for a long war and consequently the shops 
for use abroad should be of permanent construction ; and 
fabricated steel buildings which could be bought in this 
country were considered most suitable. There were pur- 
chased thirteen standard buildings, each 100' x 200' in 
dimensions, and one hundred and thirty unit sections, 
each 25' X 50', built in accordance with the design pre- 
pared by Colonel Hegeman. This formed the basis of 
the plant established at Verneuil. 

On May 18, 1917, by order of the Secretary of War 
a division known as the Cantonment Division was es- 
tablished in the Office of the Quartennaster General, to 
be charged with all matters connected with construction 
at Cantonments and Camps in the United States, and 
Colonel (later Brigadier General) I. W. Littell was 
assig-ned to the charge of this Division. By the order 
all matters pertaining to the Division were to be taken 
up by the officer in charge of same direct with the Chief 
of Staff and the Secretary of War, and the Quartermas- 
ter Corps proper thereafter had nothing to do with con- 
struction at Camps and Cantonments. 

To avoid the formation of two similar organizations 
abroad and the sending of similar character of supplies 



298 THE" QtJAET'EIlMASTEIl COHPg 

by two Departments to France, the Quartermaster Gen- 
eral on May 26, 1917, addressed the following letter to 
the Adjutant General of the Army : 

"Subject: Construction, etc., connection with Expe- 
ditionary Force to France. 

"1. Under Army Regulations, 1913, in the last 
paragraph of Par. 1,493, it is stated that, 'In time of 
actual or threatened hostilities within the theater of 
operations, the Engineer Corps has charge of the loca- 
tion, design and construction of wharves, piers, land- 
ings, storehouses, hospitals and other structures of gen- 
eral interest; and of the construction, maintenance and 
repair of roads, ferries, bridges and incidental stnic- 
tures; and of the construction, maintenance and opera- 
tion of railroads under military control, including the 
construction and operation of armored trains (C.A.R., 
1^0. 46).' 

"2. In view of the fact that the Engineer Corps 
will have in France a trained personnel which could be 
effectively used in providing not only the military 
facilities indicated in this paragi-aph, but in addition 
thereto, shelter for troops which is implied in the para- 
graph under 'other structures of general interest,' it is 
recommended : 

"(a) Upon arrival of the American Force in 
France that territory be considered in the theater of 
operations. 

"(b) That the Engineer Corps be authorized to 
construct not only the facilities indicated in the above 
paragraph, but in addition thereto, the necessary bar- 
racks for housing the personnel of the Expeditionary 
Force. 

"3. The Chief of Engineers has been consulted con- 
cerning the above and approves. 



CONSTRUCTION" DIVISION^ 299 

"4. If this recommendation is approved, it is rec- 
ommended that the Engineer Department be instructed 
accordingly and this office advised of the action taken." 

HENRY G. SHARPE, 
Quartermaster General. 

To have insisted upon the Quartermaster Corpa 
carrying on those functions in that portion of France 
not included in the "theater of operations" would ap- 
pear to place the interests of the Corps superior to 
those of the Army and the country, and if attempted 
undoubtedly would not have been tolerated by the 
Commanding General. The above letter was returned 
by the Adjutant General : 

Left with Sec, G. S., May 28, 1917. 
Rec'd Back A. G. O., June 15, 1917. 

2607231 1st Ind. 

War Department, A.G.O., June 16, 1917— To the 
Quartermaster General, approved, with the informa- 
tion that the Chief of Engineers in connection with the 
duties assigned to the Corps of Engineers in para- 
graph 1,493, Army Regulations, has been charged also 
with the construction of the necessary temporary shelter 
for housing the personnel of the expeditionary force. 
By order of the Secretary of War. 

Adjutant General. 
Copy for Quartermaster General. 
2607231 

"From: The Adjutant General of the Army. 
"To : The Chief of Engineers. 

"Subject: Construction, etc., in connection with Expe- 
ditionary Force to France. 



300 THE QUARTEKMASTER CORPS 

"In interpreting paragi-apli 1,493, Army Regula- 
tions, the Secretary of War directs: 

"(a) That, upon the arrival of the American Forces 
in France, that territory be considered in the theater 
of operations, and 

"(b) That the Corps of Engineers be charged not 
only with the construction of the facilities specified 
in the above mentioned paragraph of Army Regulations, 
but also with all other construction necessary in con- 
nection with the operations and shelter of the Expe- 
ditionary Force." 

By order of the Secretary of War. 

Adjutant General. 

In October, 1917, by orders of the Secretary of War, 
the Cantonment Division was directed to take over all 
construction work for the Army in this manner central- 
izing in one agency all the work of construction which, 
since the beginning of the war, had been undertaken 
by the various Supply Departments of the Army, and 
thus eliminating the competition between bureaus and 
making it possible to consolidate all of the several con- 
structing agencies of the War Department. 

The law, until the outbreak of the War, had directed 
tliat all contrnction work for the Army should be done 
by the Quartermaster Corps, and this order was a return 
in a measure to the former practice except that the order 
establishing the Cantonment Division its chief was in- 
stnicted to function directly with the Chief of Staif, and 
the Secretary of War. 



IX 



QUAKTEKMASTER DEPOTS 

Problem of the Grocery Division — Clothing and Equipage Divi- 
sions — Forage and Warehouse Divisions — Purchasing and 
warehousing materials — Manufacture of uniforms — German 
vessels and the docks at Hoboken — Business of the depots. 

There were on December 31, 1917, fourteen supply- 
depots under the jurisdiction of the Quartermaster 
Corps, with a personnel of approximately 44,000 civ- 
ilian employees. The following is a summary of the 
functions of these depots: 

ATLANTA. — This was a general supply depot for nine 
camps in the southeastern section of the country, and 
it likewise supplied the Coast Artillery and other mili- 
tary posts in that section. Outside of the supply func- 
tion, which consisted in supplying 229,450 men, it did 
a small amount of procurement in the nature of cotton 
materials. Through the assistance of the Chamber of 
Commerce of Atlanta, an excellent, well adapted and 
thoroughly equipped storehouse which had recently been 
completed, was secured. This storehouse was located 
in a most advantageous site on the railway terminals 
and supplied with a perfect system of sidings. The 
occupancy of the entire number of buildings was given 
during the war and proved to b© adequate to meet every 

301 



302 THE QUAKTEKMASTER CORPS 

condition. Lieutenant Colonel Robert B. Powers was 
first in charge of this depot and was succeeded later 
by Colonel Hugh J, Gallagher. 

BALTIMORE. — This was the main supply depot for 
three camps, and supplied approximately 90,330 men. 
In addition it procured certain subsistence stores and 
superintended the manufacturing of a considerable 
amount of clothing. It was also the location of an Ex- 
peditionary Depot in which were accumulated such sup- 
plies as were needed for overseas shipments ; and from 
this depot supplies could be promptly shipped to the 
Port of Embarkation at IJ^ewport News, Virginia. At 
this depot the motor trucks were consigned for ship- 
ment to France. At one time as many as 4,000 trucks 
were held there awaiting available tonnage to make the 
shipment. 

Colonel Amos W. Kimball installed both these depots 
and for a time was in command of both. Later the 
duties and responsibilities were divided. 

Camp Holabird, a large Motor Repair Shop and 
Training School, was also located at Baltimore. 

BOSTON. — Here was the main source of supply for 
Camp Devens, Massachusetts, and several posts in the 
northeastern section of the country. It supplied ap- 
proximately 32,000 men. It was also a very important 
procurement depot for shoes and textiles. The greater 
proportion of the employees of that depot were assigned 
to the purchase and inspection functions. 

This depot took over the Eord Motor Company As- 
sembling Plant at Cambridge as one of its depot build- 



QtJAETERMASTEK DEPOTS 305 

mgs, and later took over a storehouse and pier belong- 
ing to the city of Boston. An immense amount of work 
was done by this depot in inspecting, receiving and 
shipping the cloths delivered under contract, and a very 
creditable record was made by it in the prompt payment 
for the cloths delivered; the average time in which the 
payments were made being thirty-six hours after deliv- 
ery and acceptance. 

Colonel George McK. Williamson was the Depot 
Quartermaster and Lieutenant Colonel William B. 
Gracie was in charge of the Wool Purchasing Office of 
the Quartermaster Corps in Boston. 

CHICAGO. — ^At the declaration of war, April 6, 1917, 
the Depot occupied a five story and basement building 
located at 115 East Ontario Street, having a total floor 
space of 37,500 square feet. 

The principal functions of the Depot, until the de- 
claration of war, were the procurement and distribution 
of packing house products to all United States troops, 
including those stationed in Porto Rico, Hawaii and 
Philippine Islands ; the purchase and shipment of other 
articles of the nation ; subsistence articles for sales ; 
miscellaneous supplies to posts and stations in the Cen- 
tral Department, as well as to troops mobilized on the 
Texas border, also the settlement of transportation ac- 
counts with certain railroads. The number of men sup- 
plied in the Central Department at the beginning of the 
war was about 1,000. In May, 1917, the first officers' 
training camp was started which added about 20,000 
men to the number to be supplied. 



.304 THE QUARTERMASTER CORPS 

During August and September cantonments at Camps 
Grant, Custer, Sherman and Dodge began to receive 
National Guard regiments and the men of the draft. 
This, witli the number of men at such stations "as Foii 
Benjamin Harrison and Fort Snolling increased the 
total to over 200,000 men in the Central Department. 
At the beginning of the war the Grocery Division of 
the office consisted of one officer, one inspector and five 
clerks ; when the armistice was signed, the Division had 
15 officers, 94 inspectors and 171 clerks (including 
enlisted men.) 

THE BIO PROBLEM OF THE GROCERY DIVISION 

(a) Procurement of Supplies: The greatest prob- 
lem of the Grocery Division was to open up fields of 
procurement where the vast amounts could be pur- 
chased. This necessitated a careful and comprehensive 
survey of the food situation of the Middle West, 
and the education of contractors who had never done 
any Goverament business as to the proper method of 
handling it, so that the items supplied would conform 
to all Government specifications, 

(b) Inspection: An elaborate system of inspection 
was established in order that food-products purchased 
by this Division would be of a quality that was pure and 
wholesome. The Inspection Branch of this Division 
began with one insjKJctor and on the date the armistice 
was signed there were 94 of them on duty. To give 
an idea of the large amount of foods inspected, it should 



QUARTERMASTER DEPOTS 305 

be noted that on the item of assorted canned foods alone, 
approximately 10,000,000 cases were purchased from 
May, 1917, to November, 1918. There was not one 
instance of a serious complaint about the subsistence 
stores furnished by this depot. 

(c) Prompt Payment of Invoices: The policy of 
the Chicago Depot of paying all invoices within ten 
days, necessitated close organization of the Contract 
Branch in order to handle expeditiously all invoices cov- 
ering payments nmning into millions of dollars per 
month. It should be noted in this connection that while 
only a portion of these invoices bore discount, the Gro- 
cery Division during the last five months of the war, 
paid over 95 per cent, of their invoices within ten days, 
regardless of whether or not they showed discount, and 
it is safe to say that this Division saved the Government 
on discounts approximately oncrquarter of a million 
dollars. 

(d) Distribution: The distribution of these sup- 
plies covered shipments running as high as 250 car- 
loads per day. It was a serious and complicated prob- 
lem, but by having a corps of inspectors, the Grocery 
Division was able to ship almost 90 per cent, of the 
supplies purchased direct from the contractor to the 
point of consumption. 

One of the important items handled by this Depot 
were special reserve rations. 

These special reserve rations wore packed in her- 
metically sealed, galvanized iron containers, in order 
to render them gas proof and water proof. The reason 



306 THE QUAKTEKMASTEE COEPS 

for tJie urgent need of this type of ration was due to 
the fact that the mustard gas as employed by the Ger- 
mans in their warfare, destroyed all food products with 
which it came in contact. These rations were to he 
used in the first line trenches, in order that troops in 
these lines could retain their position after a mustard 
gas attack and still have necessary food. Each gal- 
vanized iron container held enough food for twenty-five 
men for one day. The cost of the total amount of re- 
serve rations furnished during the war was about $6,- 
000,000. 

This depot was also called upon to produce the 
Armour Emergency Eations. A twelve-ounce can was 
used, containing nine ounces of ground meat and wheat 
mixture, and three ounces of chocolate. This was strict- 
ly an emergency ration to be carried on the person of the 
soldier, and was only to be opened upon an order from 
a commissioned officer, when all other supplies had 
failed. 

This Division placed orders for 2,000,000 of these 
rations and before the first million was completed, a call 
came from Washington ordering that everything pos- 
sible be done to triple the output of this ration. With 
the cooperation of Armour & Co., and the American 
Can Company (who were manufacturing the twelve 
ounce cans) and by changing the method of packing, 
this Division was able to triple the output of this ration. 
The manufacture of this emergency ration continued 
up to the date of the armistice. 

The purchase of milk was another big item, and it 



QUARTERMASTER DEPOTS 307 

was necessary to develop a corps of inspectors to handle 
this particular commodity alone. The Grocery Division, 
from the month of June to the end of the war, pur- 
chased nearly 1,500,000 cases of evaporated milk, the 
greater portion of which was shipped directly overseas. 

About August, 1917, the Depot Quartermaster ef- 
fected a reorganization of the office in order to care 
for the large volume of work which was daily increasing, 
and separate divisions were formed under the headings 
of the various supplies handled by the Quartermaster 
Corps. 

All plants equipped for the manufacture of cloth- 
ing and equipage were listed and classified according 
to their capacity. Inspections were made by an army 
officer as to sanitary conditions and recommendations 
forwarded to the Purchasing and Manufacturing Quar- 
termaster, Washington, D. C. 

Arrangements were made for sponging and shrink- 
ing all cloth, and this cloth was pro-rated to clothing 
manufacturers with a view to keeping them all occupied 
and allowing no accumulation of material at any one 
plant. As soon as shoe lasts were supplied shoe In- 
spectors were employed and sent to the factories 
throughout the Middle West with which contracts had 
been made, and the contracts transferred to this depot. 
The Clothing and Equipage Division of the Depot was 
established about July 1, 1917 and on November 11, 
1918, there were about twenty-five officers on duty with 
this division. The office force proper, not including the 
clerical force of the C. & E. Branch, Warehousing 



808 THE QUARTERMASTER CORPS 

Division, consisted of 165 civilian employees and 15 en- 
listed men. There were 661 inspectors, 228 folders 
and 30 stampers on tlie division rolls. 

The Motor Division was organized in June, 1917. 
From June 1, 1917, to May, 1919, purchases of motor 
vehicles and equipment for the use of the army were 
made by this Depot amounting to about $125,000,000. 

On October 1, 1917, on instructions from the Quarter- 
master General, the Forage Division of the Depot was 
organized. This Division was to purchase and dis- 
tribute all oats, other grains and bran required by 
the army, both in this countr}^ and overseas. The Pur- 
chasing Quartermaster at Kansas City, Missouri, was 
charged with the supply of all hay and straw and their 
distribution. In order to carry a reserve stock of oats 
and bran, arrangements were made with thirty-four 
elevator companies to store oats for the Government. 
The amount of storage room secured in the thirty-four 
elevators totaled 2,800,000 bushels, payment being 
made only if the space was actually occupied. These 
elevators were located at practically all important ter- 
minal markets, including such places as Chicago, Minne- 
apolis, Omaha, Kansas City, St. Louis, Fort. Worth, 
Texas, Cairo, Illinois, Milwaukee, Toledo, Ohio, and 
Louisville, Kentucky. 

The Warehouse Division was established on May 4, 
1917, due to the increased activities of the Depot which 
also indicated the unsuitability of the quarters occupied 
at 115 East Ontario St. Captain, later Lieutenant 
Colonel Unmacht was placed in charge. After a can- 



QTJAETERMASTEE DEPOTS 309 

vas of the city, a site at 2615 Iron Street was chosen. 
It was occupied by a Subsidiary of Montgomery Ward 
& Co. and through the assistance of the officials of this 
latter corporation occupancy was secured. On July 24, 
1917, lease was made of the entire Hawthorne Race 
Track, a plot of 117 acres, including all its buildings. 
Additional buildings of a temporary character were im- 
mediately put under construction by the Depot Quar- 
termaster and a switch connection made with one of the 
belt lines. Later, and again with the consent and as- 
sistance of the officials of Montgomery Ward & Co., a 
large concrete warehouse on West 39th St. was secured. 
Seeing that the available storage would prove inade- 
quate, plans were drawn and appropriation secured for 
the erection of one-story bungalows on the comer of 
39th Street and Ashland Avenue, on ground leased 
from the Central Manufacturing District. Three build- 
ings were erected, each 96 feet wide and 1325 feet long, 
of hollow tile construction, equipped with heat, electric 
lights and complete sprinkler system. The Depot grew 
from 37,500 square feet to one containing 5,144,900 
square feet. Colonel Albert D. Kniskern was the Depot 
Quartermaster. 

EL, PASO. — Supplied one camp of about 23,000 men. 

FOET SAM HOUSTON. — Supplied four camps compris- 
ing approximately 70,715 men. 

jEFFEKSONviLLE. — This Dopot suppHcd no troops. It 
was located in the center of a manufacturing district 
and was the general pi-ocurement depot for vehicles, 
harness, numerous articles of equipages, hardware, field 



310 THE QUAKTEEMASTER CORPS 

ranges and field bake ovens and their equipment. This 
Depot since the close of the Civil War had been manu- 
facturing flannel shirts on a moderate scale, and from 
time to time the uniforms for Civil War veterans at the 
Soldiers' Homes, and had thus given partial employ- 
ment to between seven and eight hundred widows and 
relatives of Civil War veterans. 

In the fall of 1916 it was decided to establish at the 
Jeffersonville Depot a small plant for the manufacture 
of outer clothing, coats, breeches and overcoats, and a 
small appropriation was g-ranted by Congress to enable 
the necessary alterations to be made in the buildings and 
to purchase the machinery required. In the manufac- 
ture of the shirts the cloth had been cut with shears, and 
the sewing women paid at the end of the month. Elec- 
trical cutting knives were installed and arrangements 
made for paying the women daily when the garments 
were turned in. 

As the number of sewing women employed increased, 
sub-stations were inaugurated at Frankfort and Louis- 
ville, Kentucky, and at New Albany and other places in 
Indiana, the largest of these being a sub-station at 
the Louisville Armory which alone handled the work 
of 10,000 women. The number of sewing women was 
increased until a total of some 22,000 was reached. 

All the foregoing came about in view of the very 
evident approaching hostilities in Europe and our ac- 
tual entrance into the World War. When it seemed 
quite evident that the United States would soon be 
brought into war it was deemed advisable to begin to 



QUAKTERMASTEK DEPOTS 311 

prepare in ample time so as not to be found wanting 
when the crisis arrived. 

But this constituted only a portion of the large quan- 
tities of purchases of supplies and raw materials that 
were made, such as cotton goods, stoves, field ranges, 
bake ovens, and hardware of all descriptions. Many 
of these were largely entered into prior to the declara- 
tion of hostilities in anticipation of that event, and 
others at that time and thereafter. 

The gathering together of such large quantities of 
materials and supplies must necessarily be followed 
by an ample provision of means to take care of them. 
This was done by the construction of large warehouses, 
comprehensive plans of development being laid out, 
and the work rapidly pushed to completion. To handle 
goods incoming and outgoing it was necessary to in- 
crease the railroad trackage, putting in additional sid- 
ings and laying tracks along the new warehouses, and 
thus the Railway Transportation Department became a 
very important department in the Jeffersonville Depot, 
handling as high as 700 carloads a week. 

On account of the wearing effect of the motor trucks, 
and to insure traffic at all times, much road building 
in the Depot and its vicinity was necessary and thou- 
sands of cubic yards of cracked rock were utilized for 
this purpose. 

As an adjunct in securing supplies new shops were 
erected and shops on hand were enlarged. A modern 
and up to date harness shop was built to supplement 
the small one then in existence, and a new cloth shrink- 



312 THE QTJAETERMASTEE CORPS 

ing plant, up to date in every particular, was installed. 
A large building was constructed for shoe repairing, and 
the carpenter shops and paint shops were placed on a 
large scale by new construction. 

But to handle this increased volume of business the 
necessary labor and office personnel had to be secured. 
This was done by consistently augmenting and carefully 
selecting the force until it had increased from some- 
thing like two or three officers and 150 civilian em- 
ployees in October, 1916, to something like 100 officers 
and 8,000 civilian employees in January, 1918, and 
this entirely exclusive of the women sewing on shirts. 
The increase in personnel again brought in new com- 
plications and necessities, such as means of transporta- 
tion of employees to and from the Depot, medical as- 
sistance in the form of first aid for the injured, ambu- 
lances, doctors and nurses, all of which was arranged. 
A large cafeteria was established to provide means of 
furnishing food lunches within the depot grounds. 

Immediately at the beginning of hostilities a secret 
service was established which operated in the neighbor- 
hood of Jeifersonville and Louisville and did very effi- 
cient work. This was supplemented by a depot guard 
to insure the security against theft and fire of the prop- 
erty in buildings and in open storage. This was in- 
creased as requirements proved necessary and formed 
a very efficient organization. 

Early in 1917, in preparation for the War, large 
orders for transportation were received at the Depot. 
These orders became so great that by the fall of 1917 



QUAETERMASTEK DEPOTS 313 

practically the entire vehicle and farm wagon industry, 
up to probably seventy-five per cent, of its entire output, 
was engaged in carrying on this work for the Jefferson- 
ville Depot. The entire industry as a unit was put be- 
hind tbe Government. The contracts were so far reach- 
ing that there was no available lumber, and in its proj- 
ect the Jeffersonville Depot had to look forward as far 
as the standing trees in the forest. 

It was practically the creation of a new industry, as 
very few of tbe contractors had previously manufac- 
tured these particular types of vehicles, and none in the 
magnitude involved. In addition there was much ex- 
perimental work since the drinking water wagons, also 
the ration carts, drinking water carts, hand carts and 
medical carts were all new types of vehicles, the necess- 
ity of which was developed by the war, and for the pro- 
duction of which only very indefinite descriptions of the 
essential requirements were given. 

The amount of harness required involved the use of 
a large quantity of leather, as well as a practical con- 
solidation and expansion of the entire harness industry 
of the country, as had been the case with the Vehicle 
and Farm Implement Association in the production of 
the necessary vehicles. 

This was accomplished through the assistance of the 
Harness Manufacturers' Association and with the same 
results that were obtained in regard to vehicles, that is, 
the production of harness was always in advance of 
the requirements. 

An account has previously been given, under the title 



314 THE QUARTEEMASTER CORPS 

Remount Division and Remount Service^ of the arrange- 
ments made to secure the vehicles and harness which 
the Quartermaster Corps was called upon to supply, 
and reference has been made to the effort exerted to 
secure the necessary commissioned personnel to enable 
proper inspections to be made of the harness. The dis- 
advantages and embarrassments under which the Depot 
labored because the necessary personnel to protect the 
interests of the Government and insure the manufacture 
and delivery of supplies of suitable quality was not sup- 
plied are evident. 

A considerable amount of experimental work in the 
development of a suitable type of Rolling Kitchen had 
been done at the Jeffersonville Depot. During the 
prosecution of this work, Engineer W. A. Dorsey, at- 
tached to the Depot, devised an oil burner for use with 
the field ranges. This device was also applied to a 
type of rolling kitchen sent to the Mexican border for 
trial, and proved entirely successful. A duplex type 
of the Dorsey oil burner adaptable for field bakeries was 
also devised. The Dorsey oil burner is thus adaptable 
for use with rolling kitchens, field bakeries, army 
ranges, Sibley tent stoves, field ranges, etc., for heating 
and cooking purposes. 

There were manufactured during the calendar year 
1917 by the sewing women at this Depot: 

Shirts Alone 

Bhirts 3,402,358 Jan., 1917 84,935 

Bed Sacks 2,026,000 Feb., 1917 66,880 

Barracks Bags 126,000 Mar., 1917 53,045 

Coats 3,700 April, 1917 44,630 



QUARTEEMASTEE DEPOTS 315 

Coats, Denim 2,620,000 May, 1917 84,750 

Mattress Covers .... 67,000 June, 1917 117,280 

Trousers, O.D 155,000 July, 1917 293,220 

Trousers, Denim 212,000 Aug., 1917 435,994 

Sept., 1917 512,530 

Oct., 1917 646,354 

Nov., 1917 601,320 

Dec, 1917 461,420 



Total 8,612,058 Oct., 1917 646,354 

Nov., 1917 601,320 



Total 3,402,358 

There were manufactured during the calendar year 
1918: 

Shirts Alone 

Shirts, O.D 2,371,000 Jan., 1918 394,850 

Bed Sacks 532,000 Feb., 1918 341,890 

Barracks Bags 6,000 Mar., 1918 421,221 

Breeches, Cotton 165,000 April, 1918 447,320 

Breeches, Wool 65,000 May, 1918 371,480 

Coats, Denim 123,000 

Coats, Denim 121,000 Total 1,976,761 

Mattress Covers 62,000 

Trousers, Denim .... 465,000 

Breeches, Wool 111,000 



Total 4,021,000 

The sewing women employed during the calendar 
year 1916 were 1,545. This number was increased so 
that there were on the rolls December 31, 1917, ap- 
proximately 22,000 women. 

In order to distribute shirts, secure the highest pro- 
duction, and accommodate employees in the neighboring 
country, which included that as far north as Indian- 
apolis and as far east as Frankfort, Kentucky, and 
similarly in other directions, there were established sub- 
stations, the first being at I^ew Albany, Indiana, on 
July 16, 1917. In the first week this sub-depot handled 



316 THE QUAETERMASTER CORPS 

the work of 3,000 operators. Other sub-depots were 
subsequently established as follows : 

Scottsburg, Ind., opened August 6, 1917; 1,050 sewing 

operatives, closed December 7, 1918; 
Frankfort, Ky., opened August 18, 1917; 2,366 sewing 

operatives; closed December 4, 1918; 
Louisville, Ky., opened October 1, 1917; 10,020 sewing 

operatives, closed December 20, 1918; 
Madison, Ind., opened March 14, 1918; 1,822 sewing 

operatives, closed December 2, 1918. 

These were all in addition to the sewing women whose 
work was handled at the Jeffersonville Depot proper. 

Shirts for all sub-stations were cut at the Jefferson- 
ville Depot, where the cutting capacity was increased 
to over 30,000 shirts per day. At two yards per shirt, 
this means 60,000 yards or 33.9 miles of shirting flan- 
nel cut daily, for seven days in the week. The records 
of this Depot show that during the month of April, 
1917, $29,100 was paid to home workers for the manu- 
facture of shirts; that during August, 1917, this sum 
reached $198,900. 

Expansion of the Jeffersonville Depot 

Janua'ry 1, 1917 — 17.2 acres, including 251,620 sq. ft. covered 
storage. 

November 11, 1918 — 145 acres, including 3,711,690 sq. ft. cov- 
ered storage. 
Railroads 

January 1, 1917—2 freight tracks, total length 1,000 ft., car 
capacity 19. 

November 11, 1918—12 freight tracks, total length 15,365 ft., 
car capacity 348. 

Before the war, carloads handled in and out — 15 to 20 daily. 

During the height of the war, carloads handled in and out — 
80 to 100 daily. 
Personnel 

January 1, 1917 — 2 Officers — 160 civilian employees— 1,545 
sewing women. 



QUAETERMASTEE DEPOTS 31Y 

Spring, 1918 — 100 Officers — 7,500 civilian employees — approx- 
imately 22,000 sewing women. 
Office Space 

January 1, 1917—4489 sq. ft. 
November 11, 1918—59,605 sq. ft. 
Purchase 

April 6, 1917, to November 11, 1918. 

General Supplies $100,521,185.53 

Raw Materials and Paints 91,561.28 

Clothing and Equipage 21,843,526.07 

Total $122,456,272.88 

Colonel W. S. Wood, Quartermaster Corps, was the 
Depot Quartermaster. 

NEW OELEANS : This depot was the principal source 
of supply for two camps. It was also the headquarters 
for shipping to the Canal Zone. The depot supplied 
approximately 54,000 men. 

NEW yokk: After the outbreak of the war theire 
were many Gennan and Austrian steamships interned 
at New York. Many of these vessels were berthed at 
the Docks at Hoboken, ISTew Jersey, owned or controlled 
by the North German Lloyd and Hamburg-American 
Steamship Companies. 

Anticipating the entry of this country into the war. 
Depot Quartermaster at New York, Brigadier General 
John M. Carson (then Colonel) Quartermaster Corps, 
wrote the Quartermaster General in December, 1916, 
urging that plans be prepared to seize the vessels and 
the docks on behalf of the War Department the instant 
that war was declared. Upon the declaration of war 
on April 6, 1917, the German vessels in the United 
States ports were immediately seized by the representa- 



318 THE QUAETERMASTER CORPS 

tives of the Treasury Department. The docks at Ho- 
boken of the two Geiinan steamship companies were, 
however, not included, except in so far as it was neces- 
sary to safeguard the seized vessels. An investigation 
was made by the Depot Quartermaster and it was ascer- 
tained that the docks were technically owned by domes- 
tic corporations that had been organized by the North 
German Lloyd and Hamburg-American Steamship 
Companies under the laws of the State of l^ew Jersey. 
The investigation showed that bonds had been issued 
and mortgages given which were owned or controlled 
by American financial institutions, and the Depot Quar- 
termaster recommended that the docks be taken under 
lease, at rentals sufficient to cover the fixed charges on 
the two properties. The Depot Quartermaster was di- 
rected to proceed to Washington and after a conference 
held with the Secretary of War, the latter presented the 
matter to the President who approved the recommenda- 
tion, made by Brigadier General (then Colonel) Bethel 
of the Judge Advocates Department, that the docks 
should be seized at once under the provisions of the Act 
of Congress, approved August 29, 1916. On the after- 
noon of April 16, 1916, instructions were given the 
Depot Quartermaster to take possession of the docks, by 
direction of the President, and to call upon the Com- 
manding General, Department of the East, for the 
necessary guard. The representatives of the l^orth 
German Lloyd and the Hamburg- American companies 
were informed by the Depot Quartermaster that he took 
possession of the properties in the name of the Gov- 



QUAKTERMASTEK DEPOTS 319 

eminent from that day. On April 18, 1916, the Depot 
Quartermaster with a Battalion of Infantry from Gov- 
ernors Island, New York, took physical possession of 
the docks and relieved the representatives of the Col- 
lector of Customs, Port of New York, of further re- 
sponsibility in connection therewith. 

On May 21, 1917, instructions were sent from the 
Office of the Quartermaster General to the Depot Quar- 
termaster to the effect that orders would soon be made 
to send to France an Expeditionary Force, consisting 
of Infantry, Field Artillery, Medical Corps, Signal 
Corps and Quartermaster Corps troops, that would ag- 
gregate about 12,000 men and 2,000 animals, and that 
it was desired to embark the Expeditionary Force, if 
possible, on June 3rd. A list of vessels controlled by 
the steamship representatives in New York was fur- 
nished and the Depot Quartermaster directed to confer 
with the steamship representatives and the Com- 
mandant of the Navy Yard at New York, and select the 
vessels and have them properly fitted out, manned and 
armed for the voyage. Of the list of vessels some were 
in port discharging or loading cargoes, some were due 
to arrive shortly, and one or two were not due until 
June 1st. As a result of the conference it was reported 
that fourteen vessels would be required, ten for troops 
and four for animals and supplies, and that it would be 
impossible to prepare them to sail in convoy before 
June 9th and probably not until June 10th or 11th. 
June 10th was fixed as the date of departure and orders 
were issued for the concentration of troops and supplies 



320 THE QUAETERMASTER CORPS 

at New York. The composition of the Expeditionary 
Force was modified by substituting Infantry for Field 
Artillery and increasing the number of animals to 2,823. 

Immediately the various Supply Departments began 
shipping supplies to the Depot Quartermaster without 
first inquiring whether such supplies could be handled. 
One Supply Department alone shipped 12,000 tons. 
The Quartermaster General invited the attention of the 
Chief of Staff to this lack of coordination and pointed 
out that such action would result in the same conges- 
tion which existed at Tampa, Florida, in the Spanish 
War, unless steps were taken to prevent it. He re- 
quested an order directing that no supplies be forwarded 
to New York for shipment to France until the Depot 
Quartermaster there had been previously consulted to 
ascertain if the supplies could be handled. 

The Quartermaster General recommended the estab- 
lishment of a Port of Embarkation at New York, and 
the appointment of a Commandant of the Base to co- 
ordinate all matters pertaining to the shipment of troops 
and supplies to France. No action having been taken 
on this recommendation, it was renewed and request 
made that Colonel John M. Carson be designated as 
Commandant of the Base. This resulted in directions 
to the Commanding General, Department of the East, 
to designate a line officer to act as Commandant of the 
Base, and on June 6, 1917, Colonel J. C. F. Tillson was 
appointed to act as Port Commander. This ofiicer de- 
voted himself untiringly to the work both day and 
night, and remained in charge until July 31st when 



QUARTEEMASTEE DEPOTS 321 

the Port of Embarkation was established at New York 
and a general officer designated to the command. 

Through the splendid support and assistance of the 
officials of the companies whose vessels were to be used, 
aided by their organizations, and the ^NTaval officers of 
the New York Navy Yard, the work of preparing the 
vessels for troops and animals was prosecuted day and 
night. All the shipyards in the harbor capable of hand- 
ling work of this character were called upon for as- 
sistance, and responded fully. It was found that the 
guns required for the armament of some of the vessels 
had to be shipped from places outside of New York, 
otherwise the vessels would have been ready by the date 
set by the War Department for the sailing. One ves- 
sel, the Finland, of the American Line, did not reach 
New York until June 1st, but she was unloaded, refitted 
and ready to sail on June 10th, as she had already been 
armed, and therefore the time required to mount the 
guns was saved. 

Practically all the troops forming this first expedition 
were brought from interior points, a large part of them 
from military posts and camps in Texas. There was 
no embarkation camp prepared for this concentration, 
and it was, therefore, necessary to regulate the arrival 
of troops so that they could march directly from the 
train to the vessel. It was also necessary to regulate, 
as far as possible, the arrival of equipment and supplies, 
as the docks, in spite of their large capacity, were not 
adequate to store all of the freight that was to accom- 
pany the expedition. 



322 THE QUAKTERMASTER CORPS 

When the supplies were being loaded on the vessels, 
a strike for higher wages to be paid to the stevedores 
was threatened. Learning that men to replace them 
could not be secured in time to permit the sailing of 
the vessels on the date designated the Depot Quarter- 
master was authorized to make the advance requested. 
The Quartermaster General then requested authority to 
enlist a force of stevedores to handle the vessels in the 
Government service. This recommendation was op- 
posed by the labor leaders in New York and the author- 
ity was not given. Later these leaders withdrew their 
objection and a force to guard the docks and afford pro- 
tection against fire was organized. Its composition was 
such that there were men trained in stevedoring includ- 
ed in tlie organization. 

Shortly after the sailing of the first expedition orders 
were made to prepare for a second expedition to be em- 
barked as soon as the ships could be secured, and not 
later than the return of the ships which carried the first 
expedition. Colonel Carson had been assigned, in ad- 
dition to his other duties as General Superintendent 
Army Transport Service at New York, and commenced 
the organization of the Transport Office with two officers 
and four civilian clerks from the personnel of the Quar- 
tennaster Depot. The organization expanded rapidly 
to meet the constantly increasing demands, until on No- 
vember 1, 1917, it consisted of 63 officers and 588 
civilian employees, exclusive of the stevedores employed 
on the docks in connection with the, loading and dis- 
charging of the vessels. 



QUAETERMASTEK DEPOTS 323 

Mr. P. A. S. Franklin, President, International Mer- 
cantile Marine Company; Mr. H. H. Raymond, Presi- 
dent of the Clyde Line Steamship Co. ; Mr. Clifford 
Mallory, connected with the Mallory Steamship Line; 
Mr. A. G. Smith, President of the Ward Line Steam- 
ship Co. ; Mr. S. G. Schermerhom, Executive Vice- 
President of the United Fruit Company; and Mr. E. 
D. Page, Chairman of the Advisory Committee appoint- 
ed by the President of the J^ational Chamber of Com- 
merce and the officials of the New York Merchants' As- 
sociation, rendered most valuable assistance in the pre- 
liminary stages of the work. 

Under the management of the l^orth German Lloyd 
and the Hamburg-American Steamship Companies, all 
freight to and from the docks at Iloboken had been 
transported either by lighters or trucks. The docks of 
the North German Lloyd Company had been connected 
by track with the adjacent trackage of the Hoboken 
Manufacturers' Shore R. R., whose tenninal was a few 
yards north of the North German Lloyd docks, and 
this railroad had connection with practically all the 
railroads entering New York. While the track was 
in place the North German Lloyd Company had never 
allowed the Railroad Company to run cars on its docks. 

A representative of the railroad company called in 
May on the Quartermaster General and made the 
proposition to lease the railroad to the Government. 
The Depot Quartermaster upon instructions made a 
thorough investigation and recommended the leasing of 
the road for the period of the war. The matter was 



324 THE QUAETEKMASTER COEPS 

submitted to the Secretary of War and decision made 
to purchase the Railroad at a price to be established by 
a Board of competent appraisers, payment to be made 
from the contingent fund placed at the disposal of the 
President. The Depot Quartermaster under instruc- 
tions took possession of the property on July 1, 1917, in 
the name of the Government. Steps were at once taken 
to extend the trackage to the yards in front of the 
sheds of both the North German Lloyd and the Ham- 
burg-American docks. 

The work of the General Superintendent, Army 
Transport Service, increased so rapidly that Colonel 
Carson was relieved as Depot Quartermaster on July 
15, 191Y, by Colonel Thomas Slavens, Quartermaster 
Corps. 

By General Orders, 'No. 102, War Department, dated 
July 30, 1917, there was created in the office of the 
Chief of Staff a section to take charge of the embarka- 
tion of txoops and supplies for transatlantic transporta- 
tion and to exercise under the Secretary of War the di- 
rect control incident to this service. By direction of 
the Secretary of War, Primary Ports of Embarka- 
tion were organized at New York City and Hampton 
Roads, Virginia, and officers, with suitable staffs, as- 
signed to their command. 

By this order all control of all matters connected 
with the shipments of troops and supplies was taken 
from tJie Quartermaster Corps and imposed upon the 
Chief of Staff, upon whom the responsibility for the 
proper execution of the work also vested. 



QUAETERMASTEE DEPOTS 325 

The New York Depot, located as it was in 1917, was 
necessarily so related to the equipment of new levies of 
troops and to the supply of the troops in France, that 
its expansion had to precede all other operations, and 
its development anticipate all increases in our forces. 
This was true in all its activities, including Personnel, 
Warehouses, Wharves, Clothing and Equipment, For- 
age, Fuel, Hardware, Transportation, both land and 
water. Stationery, Building Materials, Fire Apparatus, 
Cooking Apparatus and Utensils, etc., and all the ac- 
tivities depending upon them. 

The personnel at the beginning of 1917 was small — 
there was not to exceed ten officers and eighty em- 
ployees at the New York Depot. Within a few months, 
the number had increased to more than 300 officers and 
11,000 employees, including about every known occupa- 
tion or trade, as the purchases extended to so many arti- 
cles and experts in all lines were required. The num- 
ber of different items purchased finally reached was near 
the 200,000 mark. Watchmen had to be employed and 
organized for guarding the various storehouses, wharves, 
etc., and fire organizations perfected, which required a 
large personnel. The New York Depot included activ- 
ities in New York City, Brooklyn, Governors Island, 
Hoboken and other cities outside of New York. 

Warehouses: The facilities available in New York 
and on Governors Island early in 1917 were hardly suf- 
ficient for peace requirements and totally inadequate for 
war. With the development of the Transportation Serv- 
ice for France it was determined to occupy a large 



326 THE QUAKTEKMASTER CORPS 

amount of storage space of the Hamburg- American and 
North German Lloyd Steamship Wharves. This subse- 
quently proved to be inadequate, and besides the space 
was required for shipping purposes, so it was necessary 
to increase the warehouse facilities. Governors Island 
with more than 100 acres of land available, offered im- 
mediate relief. Other sites examined required much 
time and preparation, whereas the Governors Island 
project would permit storage facilities within sixty 
days. A plan was prepared for this, which was ap- 
proved by the Department Commander and by the War 
Department. Work was to be done in accordance with 
the plans, by the purchase of material, a construction 
firm to furnish the labor. The work was pushed rapid- 
ly, but was delayed for ten days, because of objection to 
the use of Governors Island site for Depot pui-poses, 
made by the Depot Committee of the Council of Na- 
tional Defense, which committee favored a site located 
on Newark Bay. The Depot Quartermaster had previ- 
ously examined the Newark Bay site and reported that, 
in his opinion, it was not suitable. A Board of Officers 
was sent from the Office of the Quartermaster General 
to investigate the site and submit a report. The re- 
port was adverse to the selection of the Newark Bay 
site, and the Quartermaster General approved the re- 
port and adopted the recommendation. The stoppage 
of the work was unfortunate as it delayed the com- 
pletion to some extent. 

When work was resumed, it was pushed so that some 
of the storehouses became available in a short time, 



QUAETERMASTEK DEPOTS 327 

and by the end of the year the railway ferry, dock and 
storehouse afforded such facilities that the unprecedent- 
ed activities of the Quartermaster Corps could be car- 
ried on. Efforts to obtain storage facilities in New 
York City indicated that such as were required there 
could not be found, nor could such existing facilities 
be found that could be vacated in any reasonable time. 
Such buildings as could be utilized were rented or 
seized and taken over by the Government. These build- 
ings with such space as they afforded, and with the 
Governors Island Warehouse, gave storage space of 
more than 2,000,000 square feet in and about New 
York City. Storage space was rented also near the 
factories supplying articles for Government use, which 
relieved New York of a great deal of freight handling. 
In the Governors Island warehouse, the freight was 
handled with great facility — using, besides the railway, 
electric trucks, motor trucks, hand trucks, stacking 
devices, roller transfers, etc. 

Wharves: The facilities at Governors Island were 
entirely inadequate at the outbreak of war. Those of 
the Transport Service at Hoboken soon became con- 
gested, and it was necessary to increase facilities at 
Governors Island and secure more ship space in New 
York City. Furthermore, a line of ferry boats had to 
be established between New York and Governors Island. 
Wharves to meet these requirements were secured or con- 
structed, and this greatly facilitated the handling of in- 
coming and outgoing freight. Trucks went directly 



328 THE QUARTEEMASTEK CORPS 

from New York to warehouse on Governors Island, the 
same as making deliveries in New York City. 

Clothing and Equipment: The procurement and 
manufacture of clothing and equipment had not been 
developed in the New York Depot, and consequently 
had to be initiated and firms induced to undertake the 
manufacture of articles of clothing, such as were re- 
quired by the Government. Furthermore the supply of 
cloth was a ruling factor, and all development requir- 
ing cloth, wool or cotton was directly dependent upon 
the rate at which the cloth could be supplied. 

The making of underwear was a great problem and 
required the united efforts of Imit goods manufacturers 
to meet the needs of the department. Many sub-depots 
were established, to inspect, receive and ship the pro- 
ducts of the manufacturers of clothing and equipment, 
and this expedited greatly the shipment of such articles, 
and relieved congestion in New York. 

Subsistence: The quantity of sugar, coffee, flour, 
etc., purchased by the New York Depot was enormous. 
Arrangements had to be made for storage of meats for 
at least 15,000,000 pounds and for approximately 30,- 
000,000 rations. This alone was a gTeat undertaking, 
as practically all articles except meats had to be pur- 
chased by the Depot, so that the entire transport, pro- 
curement, storage and distribution fell on the Depot. 
The troops in France were supplied and the New York 
Depot had to prepare all shipments well in advance, 
so that space on transports could be secured. Much 
forage was handled. Hay was used for chocking, and 



QTJARTEKMASTER DEPOTS 329 

a large haj yard was established in Hoboken to meet 
demands of transports for this purpose. Fuel, how- 
ever, was taken over by the Fuel Administrator and al- 
lotment made to the Quartermaster Department for its 
needs. 

Hardware: This was purchased in large quantities 
and included many items such as buckets and cans of 
galvanized iron ; carpenter, blacksmith and horseshoers' 
tools, etc. ; and many articles never before used in the 
Army had to be purchased. 

Transportation: Shortly after the beginning of the 
war this was established as a separate service. The 
Depot, however, retained Harbor, Rail, Motor and 
Horse Drawn transportation. The rail transportation 
proved to be a great task, and to avoid congestion, many 
warehouse stations were established outside of New 
York City. The Depot on Governors Island with the 
Railway Ferry relieved this so far as the Depot was 
concerned. It could and did handle the freight con- 
sig-ned to it. It was found necessary, however, to per- 
mit only such articles as were required to be shipped 
into the Depot. The Ferry established for trucks to 
Governors Island was not the least of the projects in 
transportation and greatly assisted the handling of 
freight. 

Stationery: The amount required was enormous 
and three storehouses 350 feet long and 60 feet wide 
were required to handle this business. 

Building Material: Building material required for 



330 THE QUARTERMASTEK CORPS 

construction of Depot on Governors Island and many 
other projects were handled. 

Fire Apparattis: Fire apparatus in large quantities 
for France and for the cantonments in the United 
States was purchased. This was in complete sets, and 
included fire engines, chemical engines, hook and ladder 
trucks, etc. 

Cooking apparatus and rolling kitchens were sup- 
plied in large quantities. Rolling kitchens had to be 
developed almost from the beginning and a type adapted 
to the needs of the Army developed. The work required 
and time spent in this development were in themselves 
large items. 

Motor transports, trucks, autos and spare parts for 
same, and tools and materials for the great motor shops 
for France required special personnel and special num- 
bers, l^othing like this had previously been attempted 
by the Army. 

Colonel Thomas H. Slavens, Quartermaster Corps, 
was the Depot Quartermaster at New York from July 
15, 1917, until the end of the year 1917. Shortly after 
that time he was assigned to duty in France. 

OMAHA : This was a purchasing depot for subsis- 
tence, fuel and forage. Lieutenant Colonel Frank 
A. Grant, Quartermaster Corps, was the Depot Quar- 
termaster, and was also in charge of the Signal Corps, 
general supply depot at that station. 

PHILADELPHIA : Philadelphia was wholly a manufac- 
turing and procurement depot. It had a large factory 
operating division, in which were made a large number 



QUAKTERMASTEE DEPOTS 331 

of uniforms. It was the source of supply for the Army 
of chevrons, ornaments, flags, colors, kitchenware and 
tableware. Flags, colors and chevrons were, as far as 
possible, made in its own factory which was noted for 
the beauty and finish of the embroidery work produced 
by its operatives. 

This depot handled the procurement of all the tex- 
tiles required for the Army, and through the assistance 
of Colonel Harry J. Hirsch (one of the officers on duty 
at the depot, and who was assigned to assist the Com- 
mittee on Supplies of the Council of National Defense) 
all the contracts for the purchase of the cloth was made 
by this depot. The depot also arranged for the inspec- 
tion of the cloth on delivery, entered into contracts for 
making the unifonns, shipped the cloth to the manu- 
facturers who had been given contracts, supplied the 
necessary furnishings and findings required in making 
the garments, provided for their thorough inspection on 
delivery, and finally filled the requisitions for the gar- 
ments to the stations indicated. In October, 1917, a 
Quartermaster's Purchasing and Manufacturing Office 
was opened in Washington and Colonel Harry J. Hirsch 
was assigned to its charge, after which time the Phila- 
delphia Depot was relieved of the duty of making con- 
tracts for the purchase of clothing and equipage ma- 
terials and the manufacture of clothing and other sup- 
plies. 

Expansion of the Philadelphia, Depot during the 
World's War: In the early part of 1917 the Phila- 
delphia Quartermaster Depot was located on the Schuyl- 



332 THE QUAETEKMASTER CORPS 

kill River at 2620 Gray's Ferry Road (the old Schuyl- 
kill arsenal established by act of Congi-ess, April 2, 
1794). It covered about eight acres of ground, con- 
sisting of two sets of officers' quarters, an office building, 
museum building (the oldest, built in 1800), two large 
warehouses and a few smaller ones, with a total of ap- 
proximately 200,000 square feet of storage space. 

At the outbreak of the war the depot was charged 
with the purchasing and inspection of all clothing and 
equipage, including band instruments of every kind, 
furnishings and raw material which entered into the 
manufacture of clothing and camp and garrison equip- 
age, and the purchase of the supply of table china and 
glassware for the army. 

It became apparent that the facilities of the depot 
were altogether inadequate to meet the requirements 
and the Depot Quartermaster at once set about the work 
of expansion. Improvements were made in the Gov- 
ernment plant, which consisted in remodeling the mu- 
seum building and officers' quarters, fitting them up 
suitably for offices, and later the erection of a new three- 
story office building ; the installation of new freight ele- 
vators in the warehouse to permit the rapid handling 
of freight ; the constniction of a new elevated side track 
to allow the speedy loading and unloading of cars; the 
removal of small wooden structures to give clear road 
space and trucking areas; the conversion of the old 
stables into modem garages, and the erection of a brick 
garage ; the replacing of the old horse-drawn transporta- 
tion with motor-propelled vehicles. 



QUAETERMASTER DEPOTS 333 

• In the early part of 1917, all the textiles required 
for the Army and the manufacture of the clothing and 
equipment were procured through the Philadelphia 
Depot. The following divisions and branches were es- 
tablished in the Office of the Depot Quartermaster : Ad- 
ministration ; Purchasing and Contracting; Inspection; 
Manufacturing; Supplies; and Finance. 

The purchasing was effected after advertising for 
sealed proposals and awards were made to the lowest 
responsible bidder, and contracts entered into with 
same. With the exception of shoes, which were de- 
livered and inspected at the Depot located in the vicin- 
ity of the factory manufacturing them, the supplies were 
all shipped to the Philadelphia Depot for final inspec- 
tion. After inspection and acceptance, certified vouch- 
ers were forwarded to the Finance branch for payment, 
and the supplies turned over to the Supplies branch for 
warehousing and eventual distribution to other General 
Supply Depots, or sometimes sent direct to camps and 
stations for the equipment of the troops. 

All textile materials of every description were re- 
ceived at the Philadelphia Depot where they were 
placed on perching machines, measured, critically ex- 
amined yard by yard, tested and every precaution taken 
to determine whether the materials complied with the 
specifications in all details. This required most expert 
and skilful work and was most carefully performed and 
its successful accomplishment was a great credit to the 
officers and subordinates in charge. Every piece of 
goods, woolen and cotton, before being cut up received 



334 THE QUARTERMASTEK CORPS 

this minute and careful inspection at the Depot. Upon 
completion of this inspection the goods were warehoused 
at the Depot and eventually either used by the Manu- 
facturing branch or shipped to outside contractors to 
be manufactured. 

All band instruments were likewise shipped to this 
Depot for final inspection and each instrument was care- 
fully and critically inspected by competent men to de- 
termine if they were manufactured in accordance with 
specifications and were of the prescribed pitch. Under- 
wear, stockings, leggins and overshoes were inspected 
carefully garment by garment, and piece by piece, and 
all rubberized clothing received minute inspection. All 
uniforms manufactured by outside contractors came to 
this Depot for final inspection; also all crockery and 
many miscellaneous supplies including stationery, lock- 
ers, field desks, etc. 

All this work required considerable floor space and 
many employees at the Depot, but the results justified 
the labor and expense. It is a difficult task to describe 
in words the magnitude of this work and the skill and 
thoroughness with which the task was performed. 

The Supplies branch included warehousing, caring 
for requisitions for supplies, preparation of supplies for 
shipment, handling of transportation facilities and the 
clerical work incident thereto. It was a stupendous 
task and was well performed. 

The Manufacturing branch had charge of the factory 
at the Depot in which were made all the flags, colors 
and standards used in the Army; all the tentage and 



QTTARTERMASTEE DEPOTS 335 

many uniforms. All special-sized work was done at 
this Depot and many flannel shirts were made there. 
The uniforms made there were of unusually good work- 
manship and were produced at less cost than outside 
work. It was not possible to secure sufficient appro- 
priations to construct buildings and equip them with 
the necessary machinery to manufacture a large pro- 
portion of the clothing required for the Army, nor was 
there adequate place on the Government reservation 
for such buildings. Moreover, it was a good policy 
to have outside contractors always engaged in manu- 
facturing uniforms so as to provide the means of having 
a large number of additional uniforms quickly made at 
reasonable cost when an emergency arose. The Manu- 
facturing branch was an efficient organization, and 
turned out excellent work at low cost and in large quan- 
tities and was a credit to the Depot and the Quarter- 
master Corps. The officers and the subordinates de- 
serve praise for the successful accomplishment of the 
many difficult tasks imposed upon them. 

The Finance branch was charged with the duty of 
accounting for the funds and supplies, and made pay- 
ments due under contracts, and also paid all the clerical, 
force, workmen, laborers and others employed at the 
Depot. 

When War was declared this Depot still continued 
to be charged with the responsibility of furnishing the 
clothing and equipage. All the other Depots were 
directed to assist and rendered most valuable aid, but 
the Philadelphia Depot had charge of the matter and 



336 THE QUAETERMASTER CORPS 

remained so until the middle of ]^ovember^ 1917, when 
a Quartermaster Manufacturing and Purchasing office 
was organized in Washington, D. C. After that time 
the functions of the Philadelphia Depot were similar 
to all the other Depots, but from March until Novem- 
ber, 1917, an enormous task was imposed upon this 
Depot. 

Tremendous quantities of every item of quartermas- 
ter supplies, known as clothing and equipage, were re- 
quired for the new armies and had to be supplied within 
a very short time. It was easy to figure the quantity 
of supplies required, but for a number of years the 
Philadelphia Depot and a comparatively small number 
of contractors were able to furnish all the supplies 
needed. Commercial goods are not suitable for mili- 
tary use in the field, except as a temporary expedient. 

The European War had drained the resources of the 
country in some important items. Commercial busi- 
ness was excellent and manufacturers were not par- 
ticularly anxious to change over to Government orders. 
The country as a whole had not recognized the stupen- 
dous importance and the vital necessity of devoting 
itself entirely to the winning of the War. Further- 
more, the demand for certain textiles necessitated 
changes in the looms and many additions which required 
time to install. There was a large demand for raw 
materials and in many cases the supply was short on 
account of the supplies under contract for the Allies. 
All this threw additional work upon the Philadelphia 
Depot and the force in all the branches was increased 



QUAETERMASTEK DEPOTS 337 

enormously and provided with every possible means to 
rapidly and efficiently perform the tasks, but they could 
continue to function as formerly only on a greatly en- 
larged scale. 

It was seen immediately that it would be impossible 
to continue shipping the textile materials and other sup- 
plies to tlie Philadelphia Depot for final inspection. 
The country was therefore divided into zones and each 
Depot made responsible for the inspection, acceptance, 
payment and distribution of the supplies manufactured 
in its zone. A few additional depots were also estab- 
lished for tbis purpose, but the Philadelphia Depot 
still continued to be charged with the procurement of 
the clothing and equipment. However, the peace time 
method of advertising for sealed proposals and making 
awards on same was discontinued in most instances and 
open market purchases effected, so it had not only the 
responsibility of procuring the supplies but also the 
grave responsibility of deciding upon prices, selecting 
contractors and the exercise of good judgment in deter- 
mining the quantities which could be produced by con- 
tractors. 

Upon the officer in charge of the Purchasing and 
Contracting branch was imposed this great task, and 
when the Committee on Supplies of the Council of 
ITational Defense were by orders of the Secretary of 
War called upon to indicate where the supplies needed 
could be procured. Colonel Harry J. Hirsch, who was 
in charge of that branch, was directed to act in co- 
operation with the Committee on Supplies in selecting 



338 THE QUAKTEKMASTEK COKPS 

the contractors and arranging for the payment of a just 
and equitable price for the supplies. In addition, all 
contracts for the manufacture of uniforms, tentage and 
other supplies continued to be made by this branch, on 
the responsibility of the officer in charge of the branch, 
Colonel Hirsch. The ability possessed by that officer 
and his excellent judgment contributed very greatly to 
the successful accomplishment of the work of the Phila- 
delphia Depot, and were also of material assistance to 
the Committee on Supplies of the Council of National 
Defense with which he cooperated. 

Anticipating the need of greater storage and shipping 
facilities, the new Municipal Pier on the Delaware 
River, with a storage capacity of approximately 150,000 
square feet and all modern equipment for the loading 
and discharge of cargo from vessels, was taken over 
and utilized. This pier afterwards became the nucleus 
of the embarkation sei*vice which was established. The 
other buildings taken over and leased were as follows: 
The Merchants' Warehouse, Front and Federal Streets, 
approximately 30,000 square feet of storage space; 
The Commercial Museum at 24th and Spruce Streets, 
125,000 square feet storage capacity; The Equitable 
Warehouse, 5th and Willow Streets, 75,000 square feet 
storage capacity; the third and fourth floors of the old 
Custom House at 5th and Walnut Streets, about 25,000 
square feet; and, in addition, numerous smaller build- 
ings and lofts were leased in various parts of the city 
for inspection purposes. 

In December, 1917, a site comprising sixty-five acres 



QITAETERMASTER DEPOTS 339 

was selected on 21st and Oregon Avenues, in the Girard 
Estate, and leased for a term of years for the purpose 
of erecting thereon five temporary warehouses ; the con- 
struction of which was commenced about February 1, 
1918, and completed about September 30, 1918. 

The first of these buildings was completed about 
April 1st, and was immediately occupied for storage 
and shipping. The combined storage capacity of the 
new warehouse aggregated 1,000,000 square feet. 

About July 1, 1917, a sub-depot was established in 
Baltimore to receive and inspect the articles manu- 
factured in that locality. This sub-depot was after- 
wards merged into the General Depot established at 
Baltimore. 

There were also sub-depots established at Trenton and 
Red Bank, New Jersey, and at Toronto, Canada. 

In April, 1917, there were six commissioned officers 
and 1,750 civilian employees at the Philadelphia Depot ; 
on December 31, 1917, this personnel had increased to 
100 commissioned officers and 6,800 civilian employees. 

To take care of this personnel hospitals and dis- 
pensaries were established to care for the sick; rest 
rooms and welfare organizations established to care for 
the female employees; exchanges and cafeterias opened 
to provide the meals and lunches at midday for all. 

The following is a brief statement of the approximate 
quantities of uniform cloth, shirting flannel and cotton 
duck entering into the manufacture of uniforms and 
tents which were received, stored and issued during 
1917: 



340 THE QUAKTEKMASTER CORPS 

Yards 

Melton, 0. D., 16 and 20 oz 8,000,000 

" " " 30 " 32 oz 5,000,000 

Shirting flannel, 0. D 7,000,000 

Cloth, cotton, 0. D 20,000,000 

Duck, Khaki, 12.4 oz 10,000,000 

8 " 6,000,000 

Shelter Tent 7,000,000 



In addition to tlie foregoing proportionate quantities 
of linings, trimmings, findings, etc., were purchased, 
stored and issued. 

The foregoing is only an outline of the growth and 
expansion of the Philadelphia Depot. The financial 
records of the Depot show that the disbursements for 
supplies increased in 1917 from approximately 
$200,000 to $22,000,000 per month. Colonel M. Gray 
Zalinski, Quartermaster Corps, was the Depot Quar- 
termaster. 

piTTSBUKG AESENAL : This was a storage Depot, and 
while included in the responsibility of the Depot Quar- 
termaster Philadelphia it was intended for the reserve 
storage of wagons and other supplies produced through 
the Jeffersonville Depot. 

In addition to the storage already at the Depot tem- 
porary buildings were constructed shortly after the out- 
break of the War, containing 1,329,500 cubic feet of 
storage space. 

PORTLAND, geegon: This was a purchasing depot 
for the camps in its vicinity. 

SAN FEANCisco : This Depot was the principal source 
of supply for three camps on the Pacific Coast, and had 
under it three sub-depots. The camps supplied by this 



QUAETERMASTEE DEPOTS 341 

Depot included about 71,000 men. A large number of 
shoes and blankets and a great quantity of cloth were 
purchased and inspected by this Depot. The troops 
in Hawaii and the Philippine Islands were entirely 
supplied by this Depot, and in addition the line of 
transports operating between San Francisco and those 
Islands were under the charge of the officer command- 
ing this Depot. 

Colonel John T. Knight, Quartermaster Corps, was 
the Depot Quartermaster and General Superintendent, 
Army Transport Service, until August, 1917, when he 
was succeeded by Major General Carroll A. Devol, who 
continued at the Depot during the remainder of the 
year. 

SEATTLE : This was a purchasing and storage depot 
for the camps and posts in its vicinity, and also for the 
troops at stations in Alaska. The transports running 
to Alaskan posts were operated by the Depot Quarter- 
master. This depot also had a sub-depot at Tacoma. 

Colonel William H. Hart^ Quartermaster Corps, 
was Depot Quartermaster. Later he was succeeded 
by Colonel George Ruhlen. 

LOS ANGELES : A purchasing station for procurement 
of subsistence stores and such other miscellaneous ar- 
ticles of quartermaster supplies as were obtainable in 
that vicinity. Major Harry L. Steele was the Quarter- 
master. 

ST. LOUIS ; This Depot supplied four camps in which 
there was a total of about 111,000 men. It also pur- 
chased a large number of shoes and such clothes and 



342 THE QUAETERMASTER CORPS 

blankets as were manufactured in its vicinity, and su- 
perintended the making and inspection of a great num- 
ber of uniforms in the various factories to which con- 
tracts had been awarded. A large extension was made 
to the storehouses located at the Arsenal, and a thor- 
oughly modem and well equipped storehouse and office 
were constructed. 

Colonel William F. Clark was the Depot Quarter- 
master. 

Washington: This Depot supplied the local posts 
and departments. In this Depot was effected the set- 
tlement of all railroad bills of lading and transportation 
requests. The Depot Quartermaster also had charge of 
the new construction which was provided at Fort Myer, 
Washington Barracks, The Walter Reed General Hos- 
pital, the Engineer Camp, and Camp Meigs. This De- 
pot was also called upon to furnish transportation by 
motor trucks and of individuals in automobiles, and 
also assisted in moving the various offices to the new 
buildings when erected. 

Colonel George F. Downey, Quartermaster Corps, 
was the Depot Quartermaster. 



TRANSPORTATION DIVISION 

Rail transportation — Water transportation — Motors — Machine 
shop unit at Hoboken — Joint Army and Navy Board for 
the Inspection of Merchant Ships — Planning and designs for 
new army transports — Army vessel building program for 
construction of numeral small craft — Militarization of the 
U. S. Army vessel service — Motor transportation. 

BAIL, TKANSPORTATION 



In view of the great importance of transportation 
facilities in the problem of national defense, early at- 
tention was devoted to the establishment of a closer 
cooperation between the Quartermaster Corps and the 
various transportation interests with a view to coordi- 
nating in the movements of troops and supplies for the 
Army. During the spring and summer of 1915 the 
officer in charge of the Transportation Division, Office 
of the Quartermaster General, appeared before several 
of the transportation associations and outlined a plan 
of mutual cooperation which would be of benefit to both 
the carriers and the Government in case any emergency 
arose involving the transportation of large numbers of 
troops. These addresses were well received and the 
railroad men of the country became interested. 

On October 26, 1915, a letter prepared by the Quar- 
343 



344 THE QUAETEKMASTER CORPS 

termaster General was sent by the Secretary of War to 
the American Railway Association (an association com- 
posed of the presidents, and other chief operating of- 
ficials of the American railways) suggesting the estab- 
lishment within that Association of a committee of mili- 
tary transportation with whom the Quartermaster Corps 
could work in making such an-angements as might be 
necessary. Acting on this letter a "Special Committee 
on Cooperation with the Military Authorities" was ap- 
pointed by the American Railway Association composed 
of the following gentlemen: Fairfax Harrison, Presi- 
dent, Southern Railway; R. M. Aishton, President, 
Chicago & E"orth Western Railway ; A. W. Thompson, 
Vice-President, Baltimore & Ohio Railroad ; W. C. Bes- 
ler. President, Central Railroad of ITew Jersey. 

Conferences were held with this committee, and a 
general plan of cooperation outlined, to be placed in 
effect at the time of any public emergency, which pro- 
vided for placing a competent railroad official at each 
department headquarters, at each mobilization camp, at 
ports of embarkation and such other points as might be 
necessary. These representatives were tO' act as ad- 
visors to the officers of the Quartermaster Corps at these 
various points on any matters affecting rail transporta- 
tion and were representatives of all lines interested, 
thereby enabling an absolute coordination of all rail- 
roads. 

Sub-committees were appointed by the Committee of 
the American Railway Association to cover each phase 
of railroad activities. These committees met from 



TRANSPORTATION DIVISION 345 

time to time with representatives of the Quartemiaster 
Corps and comprehensive plans were made to utilize to 
the utmost the resources of the transportation lines in 
providing for anj contingencies that might arise should 
it become necessary to mobilize and transport the mili- 
tary forces of the United States. 

Arrangements were made for centralization of all 
troop routing (other than inter-departmental move- 
ments) in the Office of the Quartermaster General in 
order that all movements might be coordinated and con- 
gestion avoided. Tentative routings from all regular 
army posts and from state mobilization camps to At- 
lanta, Gulf, Pacific and Mexican Border points were 
made up and placed on file in the Office of the Quarter- 
master General. 

Information was collected, collated and filed showing 
terminal facilities, such as wharves, docks, side tracks 
and railroad connections at all important ports on the 
Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific Coasts. 

Representatives of the Quartermaster General, the 
Surgeon General, and the Pullman Company drafted 
plans for a complete hospital train composed of an 
operating car, kitchen car, cars for litter cases, cars for 
ambulatory cases, and a car for the personnel attached 
to the train. With the authority of the Secretary of 
War, one of these trains was constructed by the Pull- 
man Company in 1916, and placed on duty on the 
Mexican Border, and this train formed a model for 
several other trains constructed during the World War. 

Working plans and diagTams were made for the con- 



346 THE QUARTERMASTER CORPS 

version of freight cars into temporary passenger cars, of 
Pullman cars and day coaches into hospital cars, and of 
flat and gondola cars for the transportation of light and 
heavy guns. These plans and specifications were on file 
in the Office of the Quartermaster General, and copies 
of them were also on file with the important railroad 
companies. 

Various transportation forms were drafted including 
cards to be placed on cars to identify their contents and 
insure expedition in movement. 

In conjunction with the sub-committees on passenger 
traffic, an agreement was entered into which provided 
for a distribution of military traffic on an equitable basis 
between all carriers; in return for which a reduction 
of five per cent, from the lowest rates otherwise avail- 
able was made by the carriers. This reduction applied 
on all military traffic, including individuals as well as 
troop movements, and resulted in a saving of thousands 
of dollars per year and the simplification of military 
passenger traffic. 

With the mobilization of the Regular Army and the 
National Guard on the Mexican Border in 1916, these 
plans, so far as applicable, were at once placed in effect 
and fully demonstrated their value ; minor changes only 
being found necessary. 

On the declaration of war by the United States the 
committee above referred to was enlarged to eighteen 
members and designated as the Special Committee on 
ISTational Defense of the American Railway Associa- 
tion. About a month later the committee was enlarged 



TEANSPOETATION DIVISION 347 

to thirty-three members, certain of them being stationed 
at each department headquarters. With the outbreak 
of war the activities of the committee were extended 
far beyond what was originally contemplated, but the 
general plans were not changed. The railroads of the 
country were, so far as troop movements are concerned, 
operated practically as one system, and while there were 
some delays in the movements of troops during the win- 
ter of 1917-18, these delays were negligible and due 
solely to the exceptionally severe weather conditions 
during that winter. 

Perhaps the best example of these careful plans made 
by the Transportation Division of th.e Quartermaster 
Corps, in conjunction with the Railway Association, 
was in the transportation of the drafted men from their 
home to the mobilization camps. The records show that 
2,287,926 men were transported from their homes to 
mobilization camps, these men came from thousands of 
draft districts in every part of the United States, thou- 
sands of them had performed but little, if any, travel 
before, but so complete were the transportation plans 
that all of these millions of men were handled without 
confusion or delay and without detriment to the regular 
train service. 

Some idea of the magnitude of the troop movement 
may be had from the following figures taken from the 
records of the Troop Movement Section of the United 
States Railroad Administration. From the date of 
the declaration of war up to and including the date of 
the Armistice 8,714,582 troops were moved by the r^il- 



348 THE QUAETERMASTER CORPS 

roads. This was in addition to over two million men 
who were carried on regular trains, being mostly drafted 
men en route to mobilization camps. A total of 16,535 
special trains were necessary to carry troops, 245,529 
cars being required for these movements. It is of 
interest in this connection also to note that over thirty 
per cent, of these men were handled in pullman cars, 
the balance being carried in coaches, and it was not 
necessary at any time to utilize box cars or other freight 
equipment for their transportation. For transportation 
overseas 1,758,033 men were moved into the Port of 
IsTew York alone. In all these vast movements there 
were sixteen accidents involving death or injury in 
which thirty-nine men were killed and 335 injured. 

That the plans made by the Quartermaster Corps 
for the movements of troops were well thought out and 
covered almost every contingency is amply demonstrated 
by the fact that after the Government took over the 
railroads, and my successor appointed one of the lead- 
ing traffic men of the United States as Director of In- 
land Traffic, absolutely no change was made in the plans 
that had been laid down during my administration for 
the movement of troops. 

From the foregoing it will be seen that definite plans 
for the movement of troops were made long before the 
United States entered the World War, that these plans 
were comprehensive, carefully thought out and proved 
highly effective in actual practice. That this was so is 
due solely to the fact that the transportation of troops 
was left wholly to officers of the Quartermaster Corps 



TKANSPORTATION DIVISION 349 

who were familiar witli the matter and understood 
their duties. The same cannot be said for the trans- 
portation of supplies, or what is better known as Freight 
Transportation. That there was congestion and lack of 
coordination in the transportation of supplies during 
the fall and winter of 1917 must be admitted, but this 
was not due to any fault or lack of plans by the Quar- 
termaster Corps or its officers, as comprehensive plans 
for transportation of all supplies for the Army were 
made by the Quartermaster Corps in 1916. 

The great volume of all commercial shipments was 
moved to the Eastern Seaboard in order to meet the 
requirements for the contracts made by the Allied Gov- 
ernments for supplies, in addition the Shipping Board 
had enormous quantities of freight to move. This, 
added to the severe weather conditions and the heavy 
snow storms of 1917, caused the freight congestion in 
the E aft em part of the United States during that 
winter. 

WATER TRANSPORTATION" 

History, of all foreign wars by any nation, shows 
plainly that the movement of masses of troops by sea is 
always a determining factor. Plain as this fact may 
be, yet many military commanders have sought to ignore 
this teaching of history, for as always the transport of 
soldiers by ships is fraught with difficulties and by many 
not regarded as a military but a naval problem, hence 
many of the gi'eatest captains of the past have had their 



350 THE QUAKTEKMASTER CORPS 

military record irretrievably blasted because they could 
not bring into their program of campaign the problem 
of the troop ship. 

The Spanish War was the object lesson in military 
sea transport which has set the pace for the United 
States War Department in establishing a definite mili- 
tary transport fleet, and for continuously maintaining 
it to the point of highest efiiciency. 

This U. S. Army Transport Service has from its 
very inception at the outbreak of the Spanish War 
been under the full administrative control of the Office 
of the Quartermaster General. 

At the outbreak of the World War it was not there- 
upon newly discovered as a new found toy to be taken 
up and experimented with, but instead it was a fully 
developed organization, time tried with the experience 
of twenty years and one war. It was not necessary for 
the Quartermaster General's Office at the outbreak of 
this World War to take the time to debate upon the de- 
sirability of an Army Transport Service, how it should 
be planned or administered, or the service it could 
properly undertake; as all this work had already been 
done in the past years. ITor was it necessary to call in 
the Navy for their advice or experience in this matter, 
for strange as it may seem the Navy had no experience 
in these matters, or at least none worthy of the name. 
In the minds of the older officers of the Quartermaster 
Corps it was recalled how at the opening of the Spanish 
War, when the then Quartermaster General, called upon 
the Navy Department to aid in the transport of troops 



TRANSPORTATION DIVISION 351 

from Tampa to Cuba, the Navy replied that it had grave 
problems of its own and was in no position to worry 
over the subject of the movement of troops. Thereupon, 
without further debate with the Navy, the Secretary 
of War and the Quartermaster General called into be- 
ing the U. S. Army Transport Service which as a 
definite military unit has had an unbroken record up 
to the present. 

The Navy, during the Spanish War, operated a few 
occasional transports for the service of its own sup- 
plies and personnel, but at no time ever accomplished 
any War Department transportation of any kind. Fol- 
lowing this War, the Navy willing drifted back into its 
peace-time routine, and was only too glad to have the 
Army undertake not only all the Army's own sea trans- 
portation, but the Navy's sea transportation as well. 
Strange though it may seem, the U. S. Army has prac- 
tically kept alive the Asiatic Fleet of the U. S. Navy 
by the continuous transfer of supplies and personnel 
from San Francisco to the Orient. These facts of the 
past regarding the Navy are merely indicated to show 
that the War Department could not go to the Naval 
Service for professional advice on the subject of move- 
ment of troops over marine routes, but rather it appears 
that the War Department was in a position to offer 
the Navy recommendations based on study and experi- 
ence with this class of sea service of which the Navy 
knew nothing. 

That this twenty-year operation of the Army Trans- 
port Fleet was a success is best evidenced by the fact 



352 THE QUAKTEEMASTER CORPS 

that this Fleet as an organization lasted so long. The 
records of other nations in fact, show no such long 
period of operation after the original military necessity 
which led to the Fleet's creation had been passed. 

The Congress of the United States, shortly after the 
close of the Spanish War, gave careful consideration 
to the aspect of further continuance of the Transport 
Fleet, but each time, after careful scrutiny of the ap- 
propriations, and an analysis of figures for equivalent 
transportation by mercantile marine steamers, always 
returned to the conclusion that the maintenance of a 
fleet of transports was not only a military necessity 
but also that it was an economical procedure. 

Unpreparedness for War was never the condition in 
the Water Transport Branch of the Quartermaster Gen- 
eral's Ofiice; for as shown, the U. S. Army Transport 
Service had never been allowed to lapse either by Con- 
gress or the War Department. 

On the declaration of War with Germany the TJ. S. 
Army Transport Service was a very much alive and 
flourishing service. To be sure, it did not have many 
ships, but it had the nucleus of an organization which 
needed but the orders and the financial allotments be- 
fore it could be readily expanded to any extent de- 
manded. 

ISTo branch of the Quartermaster General's Office 
could boast of such continuous control and practice of 
principles as was accorded to the Water Transport 
Branch. I^ecessity in other Branches had often re- 
quired those rotations of officers and methods which in- 



TEAE^SPOETATIOI^ DIVISI0:N' 353 

terfered with that continuity of means and practices 
which good administration properly requires, but with 
the Water Transport Branch from the days of the 
Spanish War until the opening of the World War, 
there had been very few changes in the commissioned 
personnel in charge of this important Division of the 
Office of the Quartermaster General. 

Another official who had a large influence in molding 
the policies of the whole transport and army vessel serv- 
ice, and who represented a continuous progTam of poli- 
cies from the Spanish War to the Mexican Mobilization, 
was Mr. George A. Anthony, the Supervising Marine 
Engineer and J^aval Architect of the War Department, 
who was appointed by Quartermaster General Luding- 
ton in 1898 and served in his capacity as general 
nautical adviser to each successive Quartermaster Gen- 
eral until 1916. In addition to these duties he also had 
control of the design and fitting of more than a hun- 
dred new vessels for the harbor boat service of the War 
Department as well as the supervising of personnel and 
repairs of all classes of vessels of the entire U. S. Army 
Vessel Service, In 1916 desiring to accept a position 
in civil life he resigned and his duties were transferred 
to Mr. Frank Van Vleck, who had during the Spanish 
War been an Assistant Superintendent Engineer of the 
U. S. Army Transport Fleet at San Francisco, and 
who had had in the meantime service in the Depart- 
ment of Yards and Docks of Mare Island Navy Yard, 
and later as Assistant to Admiral Melville, Engineer- 
in-Chief of the Navy at Washington. 



354 THE QUARTERMASTER CORPS 

It should be stated here that many months before 
there was any thought of the declaration of war, the 
Quartermaster General had issued instructions for the 
military examination and survey of every vessel under 
the American Flag that could by any means be adapted 
for the transportation of troops and animals. Therefore 
when war opened there was on hand and ready a list 
of every available American vessel suitable for charter 
or commandeer as a vessel of the Army Transport 
system. 

As indicative of the readiness of the transport fleet 
for sudden exigencies, it may be mentioned that late in 
1916, a year before the German War, the second Mexi- 
can Border Mobilization was under full way, when a 
call was suddenly made upon the Quartermaster Gen- 
eral to be ready for a campaign by sea from a Gulf 
port for a destination unknown, presumably again Vera 
Cruz or Tampico. Lists of American ships in addition 
to the transports held in reserve at Newport News, Vir- 
ginia, were picked out as available and instructions were 
ready for issue in all detail to have these ships all fitted 
and ready for sea in two weeks for the transportation 
of at least one American division to the scene of action. 
Advices from the State Department shortly appeared 
stating that this proposed movement had been cancelled. 

Yet again early in May, 1917, shortly after the dec- 
laration of war with Germany, there emanated from 
the General Staff a request for a troop movement to an 
overseas destination unnamed, of a division or more, 
and in which each class of military unit for the voyage 



TRANSPOKTATION DIVISION 355 

was designated. Here again, the Quartermaster Gen- 
eral's Transport Officer had ready in a few hours, the 
complete designation of all ships by name, their ap- 
pointed date of rendezvous at the general base, and all 
to be equipped and provisioned ready to sail in ten days 
or two weeks. Each ship was designated tO' carry cer- 
tain units and no others, everything had been deter- 
mined as far as possible in advance. This sudden troop 
movement did not come off at that time, but was evi- 
dently changed, as these preliminary plans for merely 
division movements were merged into the consideration 
of the larger projects for the now too evident move- 
ment of troops by vast units. 

Before the declaration of war in April, 1917, in- 
structions were issued directly by the Quartermaster 
General to Colonel Chauncey B. Baker, Q. M. C, in 
charge of the Transport Branch of the Q. M. C, to 
get in touch with the new Chairman of the Shipping 
Board, Mr. Denman, and to impress upon him that the 
Nation was rapidly drifting into war, and that the 
American War Department must have more ships avail- 
able for eventual transfer or commandeer as transports. 
Colonel Baker called attention to the fact that although 
the United States was not at war, yet certain depart- 
ments of the Army did hot propose to be caught un- 
awares, and that what few ships the Transport Service 
had were all of them busily engaged in necessary mili- 
tary transportation. This was especially so in the 
nitrate situation as the Ordnance Department realized 
late in 1916 that if war was suddenly declared, the ob- 



356 THE QUAETERMASTER CORPS 

taining of Chilean nitrate might be completely cut off. 
As this contingency was too serious to contemplate, 
Army transports late in 1916 and 1917 were rushed to 
Chile for this very necessary constituent of explosives. 

Upon the declaration of War with Germany on April 
6, 1917, all the German interned vessels at United 
States ports were seized and their German personnel 
made prisoners of war. 

The War Department at once recognized the im- 
portance of this move, as there was thus placed in the 
hands of the American government a large list of ves- 
sels of the most seaworthy type, which would make 
ideal transports. Still neither the War Department nor 
the Navy had control over any of these ships. The 
seizure was first effected by the U. S. Marshals attached 
to the Treasury Department and a few days later the 
U. S. Steamboat Inspection Service was instructed to 
proceed with their repair, as the Germans had left them 
in a frightful state of intentional damage. Then later 
the Shipping Board was instructed by the President to • 
proceed with the repairs, yet at this time the Shipping 
Board had no technical staff whatever to undertake 
what was to be a herculean task. Thereupon, the War 
Department was required to take over and start these 
repairs. Later, the ]N"avy Department, again by direct 
instructions of the President, took over this whole 
task of reconditioning. This fitting up work by the 
N"avy did not, however, entitle the boats to go into 
commission as navy troop ships. Their operation was 
under the orders of the Shipping Board. That the War 



TEANSPORTATION DIVISION 357 

Department did not leave one stone unturned to quickly 
get hold of some of these ships is shown by a letter to 
Chairman Denman of the Shipping Board, asking that 
the following named German interned vessels be at 
once reserved for the use of the War Department for the 
early transportation of troops to Europe: 

As troops ships In Boston the S.S. Amerika 

" " " " Cincinnati 

In New York " " Princess Irene 

« " " " " Hamburg 

« " « " " Geo. Washington 

« " " " " Grosser Kurfui-st 

" " " " " Kaiser Wilhelm II 

" " " " " President Lincoln 

" " " " " President Grant 

In addition thereto there were to be added suitable 
vessels to form the Supply Train, the names and relative 
tonnage to be determined by the Shipping Board. Re- 
pairs and refitting now in progress, were to be con- 
tinued, except such alterations as might unfit the in- 
teriors for strictly military use. Costs and charges for 
this work of repair and refit, already performed and 
contracted for, were to be the subject for future adjust- 
ment between Shipping Board and War Department. 

In addition to the interned German vessels required 
for the Atlantic Oversea expeditionary forces, the fol- 
lowing were also asked for in separate communications, 
but are here consolidated into one list : 

For San Francisco-Honolulu Manila Service : 

At San Francisco S.S. Serapis 

" Honolulu S.S. Pommern 

" Manila S.S. Princess Alice 



358 THE QUARTEKMASTER CORPS 

At Manila One Collier for relief of coal 

situation 

For Harbor and Local Transport and Mine Work: 

At Colon S.S. Prinz Sigismunde 

" Colon S.S. Savoia 

" Colon S.S. Sacksenwald 

" New York from Colon S.S. Grunewald 

For either transatlantic or coastwise transports: 

At Philadelphia S.S. Rhaetia 

" Philadelphia S.S. Prinz Oskar 

As in case of the transatlantic fleet, all repairs and 
refitting were to be continued, except such as reduced 
the military features or capacity. 

The Shipping Board's reply not proving satisfactory, 
the Secretary of War took the matter up directly with 
the President, and it was thereupon decided that all 
German interned vessels could be used by the Army, by 
direct request upon the Shipping Board, and thereafter 
there was no further trouble on that score. The dis- 
cussions with the Shipping Board had, however, con- 
sumed some of the most valuable early weeks of the 
War. 

There were old laws on the statute books which per- 
mitted the War Department to charter, commandeer or 
seize as circumstances required, any vessel flying the 
American flag. 

Colonel John T. Carson, the Depot Quartermaster 
at New York, also appointed as General Superintendent 



TEAN^SPORTATIOK DIVISIOI^ 359 

of Army Transports, was ordered to be ready any time 
after the middle of April, 1917, to commandeer any 
available ships in that port and order them at once to 
ship repair yards for immediate refitting into Army 
troop transports, and was instructed that when such 
orders came down it was expected that each or all of 
the ships should be ready for sea in at least two weeks 
thereafter. As technical aides to Colonel Carson there 
were rushed across continent to him from San Fran- 
cisco, Captain Stinson, Marine Superintendent, and Mr. 
C. B. McCabe, Superintendent Engineer, both of the 
TJ. S. Army Transport Service. Both of these officials 
were experienced men of the old transport fleet, having 
been in the sei'vice since the Spanish War. They were 
both commissioned as Majors in the National Army and 
on arrival immediately took hold at Hoboken in organiz- 
ing for the first transport fleet movement. Other 
specialists in shipping were engaged from time to time 
as their sei*vices became necessary. 

The first transport of American troops to Europe^ 
was designated as the "First Convoy." Colonel Carsoni 
at New York telephoned on May 28, 1917, that the fol- 
lowing vessels, all of them American, had been decided 
on — many of the owners even then not yet being in- 
formed of the commandeer. 

Saratoga 1200 troops 

Havana 1200 " 

H. R. Mallory 1450 " 

San Jacinto 1129 " 

Lenape 1069 " 

Tenadores 1200 " 



360 THE QUAETERMASTEK CORPS 

Finland 1600 troops 

Momus 1200 " 

Antilles 1200 " 

Pastores 1000 " 

(All of the above ships being able to maintain four- 
teen knots at sea.) 

Following were animal ships: 

Montanan I2V2 knots 

Dakotan 121/2 " 

El Occidente 14 " 

Edward W. Luckenbach 13 " 

Colonel Carson also stated that contracts would be 
made for repairs and alterations to refit them for troop 
transports, and that he would have them ready for sea, 
with steam up and supplies on board, in ten days. 
These ships were ready at the time specified. This 
feat, however, required extraordinary work on his part 
— for it was accomplished in a port already congested 
with freight, and with repair yards practically closed 
to additional orders. 

As previously stated there was lack of coordination 
in regard to shipment of freight to ISTew York to be 
transported on the First Convoy, each Supply Depart- 
ment shipping the supplies which would be required 
by its representative in France and without considera- 
tion being given by anyone as to the priority to be given 
in tJie shipment. Limited tonnage only was available; 
therefore it should have been apportioned among the 
various Supply Departments by some disinterested of- 



TKANSPORTATIOlsr DIVISION 361 

ficer, and priority in the supplies of a department itself 
also indicated. 

One Supply Department shipped to New York to be 
forwarded on the First Convoy about twelve thousand 
tons of freight. As there were no camps in the vicinity 
of New York in which the troops could be held until 
such time as it was possible to load them aboard the 
transports, it became necessary for Colonel Carson to 
get in communication with the several posts throughout 
the country, from which the troops were drawn, and 
arrange train schedules to provide for the arrival of 
the troops at such times as they could be placed directly 
aboard the vessels, upon arrival of the trains. This 
necessitated keeping in constant touch with the troop 
tTains en route to New York. The construction of the 
cantomnents had not been started at the time the troops 
for the First Convoy were moved from their stations. 
The Quartennaster General recommended that no sup- 
plies intended for France be shipped to New York by 
the several Supply Departments until the Depot Quar- 
tennaster there had been communicated with, and stated 
that such supplies could be stored and properly handled. 

In order to provide a camp in which to assemble the 
troops for shipment abroad, insure proper supervision 
over all matters at the ports of embarkation, provide 
the proper coordination and supervision over the Supply 
Departments as related to shipment of supplies, and 
establish priority as to shipments, the following mem- 
orandum was prepared and submitted to the acting 



362 THE QITARTERMASTEE CORPS 

Chief of Staff by the Quartermaster General ; and was 
approved by order of the Secretary of War: 

"June 20, 1917. 
"MEMORANDUM for the Chief of Staff: 

"1. It is recommended that ports of embarkation 
be established at New York, Newport News, and such 
other ports as may be found necessary. The port of 
New York to be designated for the transportation of 
troops and general supplies, and that of Newport News 
to be used principally for shipment of animals, forage 
and heavy ordnance. That a Commanding Officer be 
designated for each port of embarkation to be directly 
under the orders of the Secretary of War and be au- 
thorized to communicate directly with Chiefs of Bu- 
reaux of the War Department. 

"2. At New York there should be established a 
camp of sufficient size to accommodate one division, 
and the commander of the port of embarkation to be 
authorized to acquire such number of warehouses, and 
such storage facilities as may become necessary from 
time to time, the commander of the port at Newport 
News to be authorized to lease necessary land and to 
provide a depot for accommodation of approximately 
10,000 animals with camps or cantonments for the sup- 
ply companies of a division and necessary storage fa- 
cilities for handling the field train vehicles, forage and 
heavy ordnance to be shipped from that port. 

"3. Bureau Chiefs will furnish timely information 
of contemplated shipments to the commander of the 
proper port of embarkation, advising as to the class, 
weight and cubic dimensions of such supplies. Upon 
determination of the space available the commander of 
the port of embarkation will notify each Bureau Chief 
of the amount of supplies from that Bureau that can 



TKANSPOKTATION DIVISION 363 

be accommodated and of the date when such supplies 
should arrive at the port of embarkation. In the mean- 
time the shipment will be held at the point of origin 
and not forwarded until such time as will cause it to 
reach the port a day or two in advance of the date 
designated by the Commander of the port of embarka- 
tion. The Commander of the port of embarkation will 
decide upon the priority of all shipments. 

"4. Troops to be transported overseas will be sent 
to and held at the concentration camp at port of em- 
barkation a reasonable time in advance of time of de- 
parture. Their embarkation will be under the direction 
and control of the Commander of the port of em- 
barkation." 

HENRY G. SHARPE, 
Quartermaster General. 
APPROVED : 
By order of the Secretary of War. 

TASKER H. BLISS, 

Major-General, 

Acting Chief of Staff. 

Immediately upon the issuance of orders for the 
First Convoy the Quartei-master General recommended 
the establishment of a Port of Embarkation in New 
York and the assignment of an officer to its command. 
No action having been taken, the recommendation was 
renewed, and the Quartermaster General recommended 
that Colonel John M. Carson be appointed as Com- 
mandant of the Base. This prompted instructions to 
the Commanding General Department of the East to 
designate a line officer for such duty, and on June 6, 



364 THE QUAETEEMASTER CORPS 

1917, Colonel J. C. F. Tillson was designated to act 
as Port Commander. 

Shortly after the sailing of the First Convoy infor- 
mation was given that a second division would be sent 
abroad as soon as possible, and not later than the re- 
turn of the vessels in the First Convoy. Steps were 
taken to prepare for this shipment of troops and sup- 
plies and before the entire division finally sailed the 
following memorandum was received from The Adju- 
tant General under date of July 27, 1917 : 



"The Secretary of War has directed that Primary 
Ports of Embarkation be organized at 'New York City 
and Hampton Roads, Virginia, and has assigned a com- 
manding officer witb suitable staff officers to each. The 
main headquarters office of the former is at Hoboken, 
JNTew Jersey, and Brigadier-General D. C. Shanks, II. 
S. A., is to command it. The main headquarters of the 
other is at the Federal Building, Newport News, Vir- 
ginia. Colonel Grote Hutcheson has been assigned to 
this command. 

"These Ports of Embarkation are to be regarded by 
the War Department as single utilities, each made up, 
among other things, of five depots, one for each supply 
bureau where accimiulations of stores in quantity will 
be effected, classified, arranged and held in readiness 
for shipment the instant vessels become available. 
Each of these depots is to be in immediate charge of an 
officer of the corresponding supply department who will 
also be on the staff of the Commander of the Port. 

"The special utilities pertaining to each supply bu- 
reau should be arranged in harmonious relation with 
those of all the others and with the terminal and dock 



TEANSPOETATION DIVISIOlsr 365 

facilities intended to serve all. In order that this con- 
dition may be brought about, the Secretary of War 
directs that you formulate the needs of your department 
at each Port and by direct correspondence with its 
commander arrange for the acquisition and develop- 
ment of the required facilities in accordance with a 
general plan embracing all the utilities needed to com- 
plete the Port of Embarkation as a whole. It is the 
intention of the Department to send experts upon ques- 
tions of layouts, construction, terminal arrangements, 
and all related questions, to advise the Port Command- 
ers in the initial stages of acquisition, organization and 
building, and prompt action by bureau chiefs, as indi- 
cated, is desired." 

Enclosed with this memorandum was an advance 
copy of General Order 102, which read as follows: 

WAK DEPARTMENT, 

Washington, July 30, 1917. 

"General Orders, 
No. 102. 

"1. To enable the Chief of Staff to exercise effec- 
tively his supervisory and coordinating powers in respect 
to overseas movements, there is hereby created in the 
Office of the Chief of Staff, for the period of the exist- 
ing war, a section to take charge of the embarkation of 
troops and supplies for transatlantic transportation and 
to exercise under the Secretary of War the direct con- 
trol incident to this service. The Officer in charge is 
designated as the Chief of the Embarkation Sei-vice and 
he will be given such assistance, commissioned and 



366 THE QUAETEKMASTEK COEPS 

civilian, as may be necessary, with office rooms in the 
War Department building. 

"2. The function of this section is to coordinate all 
shipments of munitions and supplies of every kind and 
all troop movements whose ultimate destination is Eu- 
rope, and to advise and assist the Chief of Staff in ref- 
erence thereto. It will have direct supervision, under 
the Chief of Staff, of all movements of supplies from 
points of origin to ports of embarkation ; will supervise 
the operations of the latter, and will control the employ- 
ment of all Army transports engaged in the transat- 
lantic sendee and such commercial shipping as may be 
used to supplement that service. It will arrange with 
the Navy for convoy service. 

"3. It is made the duty of all chiefs of supply 
bureaux to keep the Chief of the Embarkation Service 
informed fully of the condition of supplies in their 
several bureaux, and to this end they will correspond 
directly with that officer. Direct correspondence be- 
tween the Chief of the Embarkation Service and the 
commanding officers of ports of embarkation is author- 
ized. Copies of all requisitions, requests and informa- 
tion of every character received from the Commanding 
General of our forces in Europe, or his subordinates, 
which bear upon reinforcements or renewals of sup- 
plies will be transmitted to the Chief of the Embarka- 
tion Service ; and, in general, under the supervision of 
the Chief of Staff, this officer is charged with the duty 
of arranging that all supplies for our forces in Europe 
shall be forwarded in the most expeditious and con- 
venient manner, and to that end he is authorized to call 
upon all supply officers for information and to exercise 
control in matters of shipment both within the terri- 
tory of the United States and in the overseas haul. 

"4. Brigadier General F. J. Keman, U. S. Army, 



TEANSPOKTATION DIVISIOIT 367 

is detailed, temporarily, as Chief of the Embarkation 
Service, and Colonel Chauncey B. Baker, Quartermas- 
ter Corps, is detailed as principal assistant. 
(321.11,AG.O) 

"By order of the Secretary of War : 
"TASKEK H. BLISS, 

"Major General, Acting Chief of Staff." 
Official: 

H. P. McCain, 

The Adjutant General. 

The effect of this order was to take from the Quar- 
termaster Corps the responsibility for the shipment 
of troops and supplies to France, to take from it the 
providing and handling of the transports, the crews 
aboard them, and all activities in connection with their 
loading and discharging, and likewise all control of 
the wharves and all tugs required in the handling of 
the vessels. All of these duties were placed upon the 
Embarkation Service, a section of the office of the Chief 
of Staff established by this order. 

The Quartermaster Corps having thus been relieved 
of the activities in connection with the handling of 
transports, services which, under the laws were as- 
signed to that Corps, it would seem just that that Corps 
would be relieved from criticism concerning matters 
with which it no longer was permitted to function. 

The Quartermaster Corps was, however, blamed in 
cablegrams from France for matters regarding the load- 
ing of the transports and the failure to forward sup- 
plies called for on requisitions in accordance with the 
priority schedule; notwithstanding the fact that fre- 



368 THE QUARTEEMASTER CORPS 

quent requests were made by the Quartermaster Gen- 
eral that the authorities in France be informed that 
the Quartermaster Corps no longer operated the Trans- 
port Service, but that it was under the Chief of Staff. 

The transport McClellan had been supplied with re- 
frigerating machinery, and had a storage capacity of 
1,500 tons of frozen beef. This vessel and some other 
transports early in the year 1917 were turned over to 
the Shipping Board by direction of the President. 
Upon receipt of instructions for the sailing of the First 
Convoy, request was made upon the Shipping Board 
for the return of the McClellan, in order that a supply 
of frozen beef could be forwarded to France. Mr. Den- 
man, the Chairman of the Shipping Board, demurred, 
and inquired of the Quartermaster General what dis- 
position would be made of the vessel after its arrival 
in France. He was told that it would be held th^re until 
cold storage facilities could be constructed in France, 
as there were practically none in that country. Mr. 
Denman stated that after the arrival in France he de- 
sired to send the McClellan to Spain to load with a 
cargo of fruit to be brought to this country. He was 
informed that the vessel would undoubtedly be interned 
upon arriving at a port in Spain. After waiting for a 
long time, and receiving no reply to the request for the 
transfer of the McClellan back to the Corps, the Quar- 
termaster General directed the Depot Quartermaster to 
load the vessel with frozen beef and to sail in the com- 
pany with the other vessels forming the First Convoy. 
After arrival in France the McClellan was held there 



TEANSPOETATION DIVISION" 369 

as a cold storage depot until the conclusion of the war, 
and was then sold to the French Government. 

The members of the French High Commission stated 
that it would be difficult to unload the vessels of the 
First Convoy at ports in France as the only stevedoring 
labor available there was provided by the emplojonent 
of women and children and a few Gennan prisoners. 
The problem was assigned to the Supervising Marine 
Engineer, Mr. Frank Van Vleck, to have 500 steve- 
dores ready in five days, and on board ships of the 
first convoy ready for France. Without precedent or 
previous organization he fonned a so-termed "Transport 
Workers' Battalion," composed entirely of colored steve- 
dores from the South, for there was at the time of 
formation a stevedore strike going on in the southern 
ports, and it was undesirable and impracticable to 
glean any of this class of labor from any northern city. 

General Pershing and staff were on hand to see the 
arrival of the First Convoy, and at once made note of 
these first colored men who handled ship lines and gear 
like old professionals as they were. As these men 
looked like soldiers and behaved like soldiers, and ap- 
peared under discipline, he thereupon cabled to the 
effect: "Send immediately eight hundred (800) more 
of these stevedores, but as they look like and behave 
as soldiers, therefore make them such." The sending 
of the next group as soldiers was not performed in five 
days, however, nor in five weeks, for there all the proper 
machinery of recruitment and enlistment had to be 
started. This Water Transport Branch did, however, 



370 THE QUAKTEEMASTEK CORPS 

secure the services of the first commanding Officer, Mr. 
W. G. Austin of Savannah, who was thereupon commis- 
sioned Major, and shortly after as Colonel commanded 
the First Regiment of Stevedores. 

From one regiment this grew into four, and finally 
on representations from the Engineer Corps that steve- 
doring functions in France properly pertained to the 
Corps of Engineers rather than to Quartermaster Corps, 
this body of military stevedores was thereupon trans- 
ferred in France to the Engineer Corps. 

MACHINE SHOP UNIT AT HOBOKEN 

An interesting outgrowth of the stevedore regi- 
ments was the development of a unit of ship workers at 
Hoboken which later developed into the Military Ma- 
chine Shop Unit, U. S. A. Thus in forming the plans 
for a white stevedore regiment for use in ISTew York, it 
was decided to embrace in it a few companies or a 
battalion of special ship fitters, such as ship plumbers, 
wiremen, galley repair men, carpenters, etc. The or- 
ganization of this technical portion of a regiment was 
thus proceeded with, while the purely stevedoring bat- 
talions never were organized due to questions of ex- 
pediency prevailing at that time in the whole situation 
of labor and stevedore unrest in that harbor. 

Repairs and alterations on vessels of the first, second 
and third convoys were coming in rapidly and required 
careful analysis. The later efficient Machine Shop 
Unit at Hoboken was not then being organized. Large 
jbills of repairs were also coming in for the interned 



TEANSPOETATION DIVISION 371 

German fleet, for at first the Navy had little or noth- 
ing to do with these seized vessels, and the Quartermas- 
ter Corps had suddenly thrust upon it the responsibility 
of getting these vessels ready for sea. 

The Water Transport Branch, under the old laws and 
regulations of the Quartermaster Sei*vice, continued also 
to act as the executive for all matters connected with the 
operations of the United States owned Army Transport 
Fleet of the Pacific, the Philippines and Panama serv- 
ices, and of the entire Harbor Boat Service of the 
United States Army then consisting of some 360 ves- 
sels of all descriptions. 

JOINT ARMY AND NAVY BOAKD FOB THE INSPECTION OF 
MERCHANT SHIPS 

This Board was formed before the opening of hos- 
tilities late in 1916, when it was found that both the 
Ai-my and Navy were gathering facts and statistics re- 
garding the possible conversion of the most representa- 
tive American steamers into troop transports or mili- 
tary freight ships. 

As it was found that both the Army and Navy were 
thus duplicating inspections and record files, it was 
thereupon decided to join forces and have constituted 
a Board, to be known as the Joint Army and Navy 
Board, for the inspection of merchant vessels. The 
orders establishing this Board specified that inspecting 
officers should be detailed in each naval district to act 
as inspectors to examine and review the qualifications 



372 THE QUARTERMASTEK CORPS 

of eacli vessel as might be reported to it for examina- 
tion by the general Board sitting in Washington. 

THE PLANNING AND DESIGNS FOK NEW ARMY TEANSPORTS 

It was early appreciated by the War Department that 
there would be a deplorable shortage of troop transports 
to convoy the troops to Europe, and this was recognized 
even before the draft law was enacted which would 
surely result in accentuating this shortage. These facts 
were first presented urgently before the Shipping Board 
by Colonel, afterwards General C. B. Baker. The sug- 
gestion first was to ask conversion of a few ships already 
requisitioned by the Shipping Board. On examination 
of the plans of most of these ships it developed that they 
were totally unsuited for alteration to transports, due 
either to the fact of having unsufficient speed or being 
inadequately supplied with decks suited for troops. 

Two ships, however, were found admirably adapted 
for conversion, the steamers Orizaba and Oriente (later 
named Sihoney) then nearing completion at the Cramp 
Shipyard in Philadelphia, having been started on orders 
from the ~^. Y. and Cuba Mail, the Ward Line. 

Later these two vessels, together with the fast steam- 
ers Great Northern and Northern Pacific made the rec- 
ord for the North Atlantic for the greatest number of 
trips and the quickest "turn around." 

These two great American ships Greed Northern and 
Northern Pacific were purchased in the fall of 1917 
under authority contained in an Act of Congress for 



TEANSPOETATION DIVISION 373 

this purpose. They were no sooner placed in service on 
the North Atlantic than, owing to their high speed and 
their facility in making round trip voyages, they proved 
themselves of the highest military value in the rapid 
transportation of troops to France. 

ARMY VESSEL BUILDING PROGRAM FOR THE CON- 
STRUCTION OF NUMERAL SMALL CRAFT 

TJ. S. Army Mine Planter Graham. This vessel was 
designed and contracts let with the New York Ship 
Building Company to be constructed at their Camden 
Shipyard. The contract had considerable time to run 
but upon request of the Quartermaster General's Office 
the construction of the vessel was expedited and it was 
completed well within the time limit set by the contract. 

The trial trip was held late in December, 1916, and 
shortly thereafter the vessel was sent to Panama for 
station. 

El Aquador — intended for general freight and water 
service in San Francisco Harbor. The appropriation 
made for the construction of this vessel not proving 
ample, due to the increase of prices, the plans for it 
were modified after consultation with a representative 
of the Coast Artillery Corps. 

Twenty-seven D. B. Boats. By the appropriation act 
of Congress for 1917 allowance was made for the con- 
struction of ten D. B. boats, for use of the Mine Plant- 
ing Service of the Coast Artillery. While these boats 
were under construction it was decided to increase the 



374 THE QUAKTERMASTER CORPS 

total number to twenty-seven, so that there would be 
a D. B. boat available for every harbor of importance 
on the N^orth Atlantic. Following delivei-y these boats 
were sent to their various stations from Portland, 
Maine, to Galveston, Texas. 

Q. Boats. In connection with the work of Coast Ar- 
tillery posts, it became evident early in the War, that 
the number of suitable passenger-carrying launches 
evened by the Army was entirely inadequate for the 
greatly expanded requirements. Contracts were there- 
fore let for twelve passenger-carrying launches of the 
Dowries, Neary, Cheney class; which class had proved 
to be acceptable. The class for convenience was desig- 
nated the Q. Boat. Some of these boats were sent to 
France on the decks of vessels of supply ships and were 
used in the harbors of that country. These were dis- 
tributed to posts from Maine to Texas, 

Fifty-one Mine Yawls. The appropriation for 1917 
contained an item for a number of mine yawls for the 
use of the Coast Artillery Corps in performing work in 
the mine fields ; and it was decided to increase the num- 
ber originally ordered, so that fifty-one were finally 
constructed. The original design for these yawls was 
prepared by officers of the Coast Artillery at Fort Tot- 
teia, 

MILITARIZATION OP THE U. S. ARMY VESSEL SERVICE 

As the routine, uniform and discipline of the Army 
Transport Service savors of military command and con- 



TEANSPOETATION DIVISIOl^ 375 

trol, it would appear to be to advantage to place all the 
transport civilians under a full military organization, 
and successive Quartermaster Generals have sought by 
law to have the militarization of this vessel service car- 
ried into effect. 

Congress has usually been friendly to the proposal, 
as it was readily seen that this military control would 
produce economy of operation and secure a better dis- 
cipline of the entire personnel. Opposition has been 
made by the General Staff because the plan would neces- 
sitate commissioning the seagoing officers of the trans- 
port fleet. 

A year before the War the Quartermaster General's 
Office inaugurated several attempts to have this service 
placed on a military basis, and various plans were sub- 
mitted but all failed to receive the approval of the Gen- 
eral Staff. 

In the past, instances arose on the different vessels 
of the Service, indicating insubordination on the part 
of employees through failure to obey orders, frequent 
absences from their duties without leave, and refusals 
to work from time to time without increase of pay, re- 
sulting in practically tying up the vessels when their 
services were urgently needed for immediate Govern- 
ment work. Such cases were reported as arising on the 
mine planters, harbor boats and vessels of the Trans- 
port Service. 

Following numerous recommendations from Depart 
ment Commanders, and others having the employment 
of such crews under their direct control, and in order to 



376 THE QUAKTEEMASTER CORPS 

establish a service over which unquestioned authority 
could be exercised, with a recognized grade of pay, rec- 
ommendations were made as early as December, 1915. 
for the passage of a law authorizing an auxiliary corps 
of the War Department, with a view to including the 
civilian personnel on the vessels of the Service. This 
recommendation was finally put in the form of a bill 
which was introduced in Congress by Honorable W. 
S. Bennett, on January 6, 1916. 

In this connection, under date of March 20, 1916, the 
Commanding General of Eastern Department, in for- 
warding papers on the subject of the crews of Mine 
Planters, stated that in view of the fact that these ves- 
sels were engaged in accomplishing one of our chief 
defensive operations, (the mining of our harbors), the 
crews should be a part of the armed force and subject 
to military laws, and recommended that provisions be 
made at once to enlist a special class of American cit- 
izens for assignment to these positions on the Mine 
Planters. This communication was presented to the 
War Department through the Chief of Coast Artillery 
under date of May 22, 1916, suggesting legislation along 
the lines previously recommended for an enlisted serv- 
ice for these vessels. 

In iN'ovember, 1916, owing to the trouble which had 
existed for some time on board the Mine Planters on 
the Atlantic Coast, the Commanding General, Eastern 
Department, convened a Board of Officers "for the pur- 
pose of submitting a report upon conditions which have 
existed and now exist, with reference to the crews of 



TRANSPORTATION" DIVISION" 3Y7 

vessels of this class, and to submit recommendations as 
to the best method of securing for vessels of this type 
the personnel dependable both in peace and war," and 
in submitting the report of this Board to the War De- 
partment, recommendation was made by the Quarter- 
master General's Office under date of January 12, 1917, 
through the Office of the Chief of Coast Artillery, that 
effort be made to secure legislation placing the officers 
and crews of these vessels on a practical working basis, 
attention was invited to the draft of bill to establish an 
enlisted vessel service in the Quartermaster Corps. 

Under date of January 30, 1917, the Quartermaster 
General submitted a memorandum to the Chief of Staff, 
outlining in detail the necessity for the enactment of 
a law to establish an Army Vessel Sei'vice for the pur- 
pose of bringing into the military service of the United 
States all persons now comprising the Army Transport 
Service and Harbor Boat Service, and now carried as 
Civilian employees. It was pointed out that the desir- 
ability of commissioning, warranting and enlisting the 
members of the crews of the vessels comprising the 
Army Transport and the Harbor Boat Service had long 
been considered, and during the existence of the pres- 
ent war, such desirability was rendered still more ap- 
parent; that difficulties with certain members of crews 
arising at almost every sailing of an Army Transport 
were constantly in evidence, and the same conditions 
were multiplying on the harbor boats, mine planters and 
cable steamers. 

On March 30, 1917, the matter was again brought 



378 THE QUABTERMASTER CORPS 

to the attention of the Adjutant General of the Army, 
citing the case of the Army Transport Sherman, which 
had been put in commission for the purpose of trans- 
porting building material from Honolulu in connection 
with the construction of quarters at Schofield Barracks, 
and showing that although the vessel was all ready and 
under orders to sail on March 27, 1917, on account of 
higher wages being offered by lines operating in con- 
nection with the Alaskan Fishing Industry, the Sherman 
crew would leave the transport, unless an increase of 
wages was allowed, and that the increase had to be 
granted before the ship could sail. 

Recommendation for the establishment of a vessel 
service was renewed in a letter of April 3, 1917, on the 
subject of the crew of the transport Thom^as which re- 
fused to sail unless wages were increased ; in endorse- 
ment under date of April 7, 1917, in the case of the 
crew of the Mine Planter Schofield, reported by the 
Commanding General, Ancon, Canal Zone, stating that 
he was having difficulty in maintaining a reliable crew 
and under date of April 9, 1917, on report of the Quar- 
termaster at Newport, Rhode Island, to the effect that 
the crew of the harbor boats were about to resign, to 
enter the Naval Reserve because of better pay. 

On June 2, 1917, in an endorsement of the Adjutant 
General of the Army, reference was made to letter from 
the Chairman of the Committee on military affairs, in 
which it is stated that legislation for the creation of a 
Quai'tennaster Boat Service in the Quartermaster Corps 
and a Mine Planter Service in the Coast Artillery Corps 



TIlAKSPORTATION BlVlSION^ Sl9 

would be taken up with the Committee at once. In this 
connection, it was requested that the opinion of the 
Judge Advocate General be obtained as to the possibility 
of drafting civilian crews of these vessels in the militaiy 
service, pending the passage of the legislation above re^ 
f erred to. By opinion, dated June 4, 1917, the Judge 
Advocate General decided that the draft authorized by 
the Act of May 18, 1917, does not contemplate the selec- 
tion of any pai'ticular persons, such as those comprising 
the present crews of Mine Planters and retaining them 
in the Sei*vice, and in his opinion, such crews could not 
be brought into the military service under the general 
draft act. 

As recited in the numerous cases above, the conditions 
were aggravated from time to time through the general 
demand, in all lines of shipping, for men of this class, 
with a consequent increase in commercial rates. With 
the rate of wages fixed by law, and based upon estimates 
prepared far in advance, the Department found itself 
seriously embarrassed and handicapped in undertaking 
to accede to the demands for increases, and in several 
instances an adjustment to meet the requirements of 
the crews had only resulted in a similar request from 
the same crew in a very short period, so that the De- 
partment was placed at the mercy of its employees, with 
no assurances whatever that an accession to one or two 
requests for increase pay would not be the forerunner 
of several such demands. 

A plan was devised by Colonel Chauncey B. Baker, 
Quartermaster Corps, for the formation of six Trans- 



380 THE QUAHTEKMASTER COEPS 

port Regiments, Quartermaster Corps, for services as 
vessel "workers, under the authority contained in Sec- 
tion 2, of the Act approved May 18, 1917, which 
authorized the President to increase temporarily the 
Military Establishment. The plan was submitted by 
the Quartermaster General on October 1, 1917, but no 
action was taken on it. 

Late in 1917, the effort was renewed and a draft of a 
bill, which met the approval of a committee of the Gen- 
eral Staff, was presented to Congress, but it failed to be 
enacted into law. 

The mortification occurred of having the Government 
in time of war have four large ships at New York, with 
steam up and all military supplies on board, prevented 
from sailing while a handful of seamen wrangled over 
wages, which at that time were on a scale that had 
recently been increased. At !N"ewport iJ^ews a troop 
transport, loaded with troops, was held up for three 
days while stewards and seamen insisted an increased 
wage. If these men were alien enemies or sympathizers 
the Government would have been prompt to act and 
had authority of law for so doing. 

When the Quartermaster General endeavored to form 
a Stevedore Battalion for duty at Hoboken, the Union 
leader objected, and permission was not granted. Later 
the same union leader requested the Quartermaster Gen- 
eral to organize a battalion for duty there, stating that 
the men were getting beyond his control. His request 
was declined as there was no intention of assisting him 
to remain in control of the union. 



TEANSPORTATION DIVISION 381 

The Quartermaster Corps being unable to secure 
civilians for seagoing ships at constantly increased wage 
scales, and seeing that the demands of the sea-unions 
could not be met, the Navy volunteered to man all Army 
vessels and operate them with Naval crews. 

The Navy were enabled to undertake the work and 
did it splendidly, because their crews were enlisted. It 
would seem that the lesson to be drawn from this is the 
necessity of legislation effecting the militarization of 
the Transport Service, for on the occasion of another 
war the entire Navy personnel might be required to 
perform its own work. 

MOTOR TRANSPOKTATION 

Prior to 1916, the use of motor transportation in the 
Army had been confined to service at the Depots of the 
Quartenmaster Corps, Department Headquarters, and a 
few of the larger posts. In June, 1915, the Army pos^ 
sessed the following motor vehicles: 35 passenger cars, 
88 motor trucks, all classes, and 25 motorcycles. 

The advantages to be derived from the use of mechan- 
ical motors for the supply of an Army in the field had 
been stated in my book entitled "The Art of Subsisting 
Armies in War," published in 1893. It will be noted 
that that antedated the development of the internal 
combustion engine. Congress was, however, not very 
liberal in making appropriation for the purchase of 
motor transportation. In 1907 an officer of the Corps 
de I'Intendance of the French Army, after having given 



382 THE QUAKTERMASTER COUPS 

a very elaborate and thorough description of the French 
system of supply of troops in the field, stated that as 
Motor Transportation had been adopted in the French 
Army it would be necessary to investigate the system 
again after the expiration of about two years, as there 
would be many changes made in consequence of the 
adoption of Motor Transportation. 

The ofiicers of the Quartermaster Corps who were at- 
tached as students to the Ecole de I'Intendance made 
note of these improvements, and one of those officers, 
Captain (now Colonel) F. H. Pope applied them to the 
motor truck trains which were formed in Texas in 1916. 

During the preceding years a series of tests and ex- 
periments had been made of motor trucks by the Quar- 
termaster Corps, with the view of ascertaining the type 
most suitable for the service, and to establish specifica- 
tions which the motor trucks must fulfil to meet the 
requirements of field service. 

When in 1916 the Punitive Expedition was sent into 
Mexico it was necessary on account of leng-th of the 
line of communications, and because the country was 
so deficient in water supply, to furnish motor trucks to 
carry the supplies for the expedition. 

When, later in the summer of 1916, the National 
Guard was called into the Federal service and sent to 
the Mexican border for duty, it became necessary to 
provide motor trucks and other motor vehicles for its 
supply and transportation ; and as a result the Quarter- 
master Corps had on hand at the outbreak of the War, 
in storage and in operation, the following motor vehi- 



TRANSPOETATION DIVISIOK" 383 

cles; 437 motor cars, 3,041 motor trucks, and 670 
motorcycles. 

Due to the fact that no motor vehicle equipment had 
ever been prescribed for the Army, no organization for 
the handling of this class of equipment had been pre^ 
scribed by the War Department. 

This subject was therefore referred by the Quarter- 
master General in the fall of 1916 to the Office Board 
with instructions to make a study of our experiences on 
the Mexican border, and such reports from our Military 
Attaches as related to the subjects of motor equipment 
and organizations in the French and British Annies. 
This Board submitted a full report on the various or- 
ganizations required in the Quartermaster Corps based 
on those studies, and this report, as has been previously 
stated, was submitted to the proper authorities in De- 
cember, 1916, but was never acted on. The plan pro- 
posed an organization for motor car companies, motor 
truck companies and motorcycle companies, and also for 
motor repair companies. The plans for these organiza- 
tions were prepared together with an outline of the 
duties of the members, at first in mimeographed form 
and distributed to the various officers of the Quarter- 
master Corps. Later these instructions were expanded 
and distributed in printed form, prescribing the blanks 
to be used in the operation of the vehicles and those to 
be used for their repairs. 

When the motor vehicles were first purchased in 1916, 
it was necessary to hire civilians to operate and repair 
them, as there were few men in the Army who had had 



384 THE QUARTERMASTER CORPS 

such experience and training. These men were em- 
ployed by the assistance of the motor manufacturers, 
at or near the point of origin of the shipment of the 
motor vehicles. 

It soon became evident to the officers on duty with 
these organizations that the services of civilians in these 
capacities, attached to an Army were unsatisfactory, 
and all such officers endeavored to have them replaced by 
enlisted men as soon as the latter could be transferred 
to the Quartermaster Corps and instructed to operate 
and repair the vehicles. This necessitated an increase 
in the enlisted personnel of the Quartermaster Corps, 
and as new rates of pay had to be established for such 
men, opposition developed to the project. 

The training and development the men received on 
the Mexican border in the use, operation and repair of 
motors, and in various other matters connected with 
Army service, was of inestimable value in assisting in 
the formation and training of the men required for the 
Army in the World War. 

Tests of Motor Vehicles. During the time that the 
troops remained in Mexico opportunity was afforded all 
reliable manufacturers of motor vehicles to test their 
products, with the view of determining their suitability 
for military purposes. These tests were made along 
the line of communications in Mexico. 

After the withdrawal of the Punitive Expedition 
from Mexico a test station was established at Marfa, 
Texas, from which place the vehicles were operated to 



TEANSPOETATION DIVISION 385 

points on the Eio Grande, over a distance of about one 
hundred and twenty miles. 

The results of the tests furnished valuable data, and, 
from them was compiled a list of commercial motor 
vehicles which would best stand the severe usage such 
vehicles would be subjected to in the field service of 
an Army. 

Repair Facilities. The establishment of a repair 
shop at Columbus, I^ew Mexico, was necessary as soon 
as trucks began operating along the line of communica- 
tions in Mexico. This shop was first equipped with 
machinery and supplies for the ordinary minor repairs 
of motor vehicles. When, however, the results of their 
service over the almost impassable roads began to show^ 
it was necessary to expand this shop so as to enable it to 
be possible to make a complete overhaul, or rebuilding 
of these vehicles. 

This shop was later removed to El Paso, Texas, and 
was there expanded and developed for the more com- 
plete work required of it. Other shops were also estab- 
lished at Fort Sam Houston, and at Fort Brown, Texas, 
and to these shops were sent the motor vehicles which 
required repair or overhaul after the recall of the Na- 
tional Guard from border service. 

Equipment for American Expeditioruiry Force. Spe- 
cial provision was made for the equipment of the Head- 
quarters of the Expeditionary Force, in accordance with 
the desire of the Commanding General, and the equip- 
ment was purchased and shipped by the Depot Quarter- 
master, New York. 



386 THE QTJARTEEMASTEK CORPS 

Similarly special provisions were made for the equip- 
ment of the First Division. Purchase was made of part 
of the motor transportation required, and the balance 
being shipped with the troops on their departure from 
the Southern Department. 

A suggestion had been made of the desirability of 
standardizing all motor vehicles so as to keep the num- 
ber of spare parts to the lowest possible limit. It was 
reported that the English had purchased about sixty 
different makes of motor trucks which necessitated car- 
rying several hundred thousand spare parts. In order 
to be able to provide the motor trucks required, it was 
thought advisable to purchase as many of the various 
types of motor trucks which met the tests on the border, 
as could be produced in a year, before attempting the 
work of standardization. Consequently, the Depot 
Quartermaster at Chicago was instructed on May 7, 
1917, to advertise for proposals for from one to 35,000 
each of Class A (1^/2 to 2 ton) and Class B (3 to 5 ton) 
trucks, specifications for which had been prepared in 
the Office of the Quartermaster General. Shortly there- 
after schedules for motorcycles, motor cars and trucks 
of % to 1 ton capacity (termed type AA) were similar- 
ly established. 

As it was necessary to make provision for motor trans- 
portation facilities abroad, before it was possible to 
bring about standardization, it is evident that some com- 
promise arrangement had to be made. This compromise 
arrangement consisted in providing modified commercial 
trucks that were immediately obtainable in the smallest 



TEANSPOETATION DIVISION 387 

numbers that would serve the needs of the Army until 
the time that standardized trucks would be available; 
and it was found that a sufficient number could be ob- 
tained from six companies. 

About July 14, 1917, the Acting Chief of Staff ap- 
proved a memorandum of the Quartermaster General 
authorizing the purchase of approximately 17,000 type 
A and B trucks, and on July 15 and 25, 1917, the Depot 
Quartermaster at Chicago was directed to make awards 
to the Packard Motor Car Company, the Locomobile 
Company of America, The Pierce Arrow Company, The 
Garford Motor Truck Company, The Four Wheel 
Drive Auto Company and the Nash Motors Company, 
the total deliveries under the contracts to be completed 
by June 30, 1918. As the Class A (11^ ton) truck was 
not desired for use in France, on December 17, 1917, 
1,000 five-ton trucks were ordered from The Pierce 
Arrow Company, the deliveries to be made of 500 in 
January and the same number in February, 1918. 

From the time of the sailing of the First Convoy to 
France, there were motor trucks awaiting shipment 
abroad at the Ports of Embarkation. 

There were also overhauled trucks at the Motor Re- 
pair Shops at Fort Sam Houston and at El Paso, Texas, 
likewise available for shipment abroad. The factories 
producing trucks under the contracts above referred to 
were obliged to store the trucks because of the congestion 
on the railroads. 

All of the motor transportation referred to above was 
intended for the equipment of the overseas forces. In 



388 THE QUAETEEMASTER CORPS 

justice to the Embarkation Service it must be stated 
that recently information has been received to the effect 
that that service claims that the depot established at 
Baltimore, Maryland, for the purpose of crating motor 
vehicles, failed on occasion to have the vehicles crated 
in time to enable the shipments to be made. 

Convoys. Congestion of railroad transportation in 
the East, caused as indicated in the section treating of 
Railroad Transportation, forced the Quartermaster 
Corps to convoy many trucks from the factories to the 
Overseas Depots and the Ports of Embarkation. The 
first convoy started in one of the v^^orst snow storms of 
that severe winter and encountered many difficulties, 
but came through successfully. Thousands of the motor 
vehicles all loaded with government freight, were thus 
driven overland. Convoy driving was given as one of 
the last features of instruction to the members of all 
the Division trains that were available. 

Domestic Supply. Allowances for the Divisional and 
other camps throughout the United States were estab- 
lished by the War Department. These were filled in 
part from the vehicles on hand in the Southern Depart- 
ment and the balance by purchase on the open schedules 
created under authorization of May 7, 1917, to the 
Depot Quartermaster, Chicago, Illinois. When the con- 
gestion became so great at the Ports of Embarkation, 
Overseas Depots, and the factories, that more vehicles 
could not be accommodated, some of the trucks con- 
tracted for oversea service were diverted to domestic 
use, large numbers being required for training purposes. 



TKANSPOETATIOI^ DIVISION 389 

Equipment of Tactical Units and Special Organiza- 
tions. The War Department having failed to announce 
a policy regarding the motor equipment to be allowed 
tactical units and special organizations, and efforts to 
secure this information by conference proving unsuc- 
cessful, the Quartermaster General on June 8, 1917, 
addressed the following letter to the Adjutant General : 

"It is recommended that this office be informed as to 
the policy of the War Department in regard to the 
formation of Divisional trains, the number of divisions 
to be equipped with motor transportation, and the 
amount of motor transportation to be furnished to each 
division; that is, shall it conform to the new tables of 
organization of 1917 ? Each divisional train must con- 
sist of one type and make of truck. In view of the 
short hauls involved, it would seem unnecessary to 
supply the full allowances prescribed in Tables of Or- 
ganization. 

"However, it is thought some wagon and pack trans- 
portation should be authorized for each division, and a 
special table prepared showing the allowances, all kinds, 
per Infantry Division, for the guidance of all concerned. 

"The above information is desired promptly in order 
to make the necessary awards for deliveries beginning 
July 1, 1917, and to effect other preparations." 

This paper was returned under date of August 24, 
1917, witli the following indorsement: 

"The Secretary of War directs that the Quarter- 
master General be informed as follows: 

"That the transportation to be procured by the Quar- 



390 THE QUAETEEMASTEE COEPS 

termaster General include the following for the equip- 
ment of Divisional, Corps and Army Trains: 

Divisional Trains 

(a) 42 Ammunition Trains organized as prescribed in 

the enclosed table (omitted here) 

42 Mobile Ordnance Eepair Shops 

42 Supply Trains, motorized, organized as pre- 
scribed in table 34, Tables of Organization, 
1917 

42 Sanitary Trains organized as prescribed in 
table 37, Tables of Organization, 1917 

42 Engineer Trains organized as prescribed in 
table 45, Tables of Organization, 1917, omit- 
ting the Searchlight and Pontoon sections. 

Army Corps Trains 

(b) 6 Supply Trains, motorized, organized as pre- 

scribed in table 34, Tables of Organization, 
1917 
6 Supply Trains, motorized, transport trains for 
motor troops, organized as prescribed in table 
34, Tables of Organization, 1917. 

Army Trains 

(c) 15 Truck Companies, 3 ton trucks 

10 Truck Companies, emergency reserves 
4 Truck Companies, motor repair shops. 

"That the transportation provided in each IN'ational 
Army Cantonment and I^ational Guard Camp includes 
the field trains, and one ti-uck company with such addi- 
tional trucks and other motor vehicles as may be found 
necessary for purposes of local supply and administra- 
tion. 

"That for the present, motor vehicles, wagons, and 
animals, less those to be purchased in France by Gen- 



TEANSPORTATION DIVISION 391 

eral Pershing, be shipped abroad in such quantities as 
will permit each division to be equipped with its trains 
upon its arrival in France ; but that as soon as the state 
of supply of motor vehicles will permit such action to 
be taken, the Quartermaster General arrange for the 
establishment of a camp at which instruction can be 
given to the motor personnel of a division designated 
for service abroad, for about one month prior to its em- 
barkation. It should be noted in this connection that 
it is contemplated that the initial organization of the 
personnel of divisional trains will be effected in their 
respective divisional cantonments or camps, and their 
training carried forward in the full extent permitted by 
the facilities available in such cantonments or camps." 

The following are the total number of motor trucks 
required by the above instructions : 

Ammunition Trains 101x42 4,242 

Supply Trains 187x30 5,610 

Sanitary Trains 22x42 924 

Engineer Trains 12x42 504 

Supply Trains (Corps) 187 x 6 1,122 

Transport Trains 187 x 6 1,122 

Army Trains 25x29 725 

Trains Cav. Div 296 x 1 296 



14,545 



It will be observed from the above correspondence 
that it took from June 8 until August 24, 1917, two 
months and a half, to secure a reply to a most urgent re- 
quest for information. Such information was necessary 
in order to make the contracts, as the proposals had 
specifically stated that they expired on July 1. This 
was met by the spirit of cooperation and assistance dis- 



392 THE QUAKTERMASTEE CORPS 

played by the manufacturers. But the delay was vital 
as relating to the possibility of the Quartermaster Corps 
to make the other preparations required. The effort to 
establish a Training Camp for the Quartermaster per- 
sonnel and the delay in authorizing it, have been previ- 
ously recounted. The steps taken to provide the com- 
mercial motor vehicles have been stated. 

Several factors have an important bearing on the 
ultimate success of a motor transport service. The first 
requirement is that the different designs and makes of 
tmcks in use shall be confined to the fewest practicable 
number. Another requirement is that the fewest pos- 
sible changes in construction details of the trucks be al- 
lowed, once they have been put in foreign service in 
large quantities. If it were possible to have all the 
trucks of a given size of one design, the ideal condi- 
tion would be fulfilled. 

The concentration on one model considerably facili- 
tates the instruction of drivers and repair men and in- 
sures better handling and maintenance of the unit. It 
also reduces to a minimum the number of repair parts 
necessary to be kept on hand, thus greatly conserving 
storage and transportation facilities. 

The above considerations forcibly advanced by the 
well qualified assistants and experts in his office induced 
the Quartermaster General to submit a memorandum to 
the Chief of Staff on July 16, 1917, on the subject of 
the standardization of motor trucks. In that memoran- 
dum it was stated that for two years with the assistance 
of the Society of Automotive Engineers various stand- 



TEANSPOETATION DIVISION^ 393 

ards specification for the purchase of motor trucks had 
been prepared. 

The cooperation and assistance received from the 
leading automotive engineers in the country and the So- 
ciety of Automotive Engineers had resulted in many 
conferences. 

The memorandum stated that during the last confer- 
ence with the engineers which was held at the Ohio 
State University, Columbus, Ohio, on July 9 and 10, 
1917, it became evident that it would be thoroughly 
practicable to effect the complete standardization of each 
individual unit in all its details in a short time, thus 
resulting in the complete and thorough standardization 
of every individual part of which the motor trucks will 
be composed. It was recommended in that memoran- 
dum tJiat the sum of $175,000 be alloted for use in com- 
pleting the standardization of motor trucks at the ear- 
liest practicable date. 

The recommendation was at once approved by the 
Secretary of War. 

On July 21, 1917, a meeting was held at Columbus, 
Ohio, under the auspices of the Society of Automotive 
Engineers. All truck manufacturers were invited to at- 
tend that meeting and were requested to bring their eng- 
ineers with them. The Army representatives at tJie 
meeting were Major C. B. Drak and Captain W. M. 
Britton, and the convention went on record officially as 
thoroughly in accord with the progi-am for standariza- 
tion, rendering every assistance possible in the prosecu- 
tion of the work. On July 30, 1917, fifty engineers ar- 



394 THE QUARTERMASTER CORPS 

rived at Washington and the actual work of truck stand- 
ardization was commenced. 

The committees of the Society of Automotive Engi- 
neers which were in charge of the design of the various 
elements of trucks were represented in most instances 
by the majority of their membership in the group of 
engineers, who came to Washington on July 30, 1917. 
The chairmen of these various committees were con- 
stituted into an organization known as the "schedule 
committee." This was in effect a general executive com- 
mittee and decided not only the dates and order of pro- 
cedure, but also policy on important matters of design 
and contested opinions coming up between different com- 
mittees. The committee was under the chairmanship 
of A. W. Copeland, of Detroit, and with Coker F. Clark- 
son as secretary. 

Between September 10th and October 1st the work of 
completing the drawings, checking them, combining 
them into the classes designed, and the manufacture of 
the parts themselves went rapidly forward. The keep- 
ing record of this part of the work was under the charge 
of Major Edward Orton, Jr., former Dean of the Scien- 
tific Section of the Ohio State University. In the de- 
sign of the type B truck about 4,000 blue prints were 
needed, but over 10,000 had to be prepared because of 
the changes made necessary upon more thorough study. 
The enormity of the work performed in such a short 
time is indicated by that statement. 

On September 20, sample parts began to be shipped 
from the various manufacturers to the two firms Gramm- 



TEANSPORTATION DIVISION 395 

Bernstein Motor Truck Co., Lima, Ohio, and the Selden 
Motor Vehicle Company, Rochester, New York, which 
had been selected to assemble the first two sample trucks. 
By October, practically all sample parts were completed 
and delivered to the assemblers, and the assemblers had 
completed the greater portion of the small parts which 
had been assigned to them for manufacture in their own 
plants. The work of assembly proceeded rapidly and 
the first truck was actually assembled October 7, 1917, 
three days ahead of schedule. The second truck was 
finished about two days later. 

The trucks, upon completion, were given short tests at 
the respective factories and were started for Washington 
overland. The truck made at Lima, Ohio, reached 
Washington, Sunday, October 13, 1917; and that made 
at Rochester, New York, reached Washington, Tuesday, 
October 16th, having crossed the mountains in the first 
snow storm of the season and encountering very bad 
weather. Neither truck had any breakdowns or me- 
chanical difficulty other than slight running adjust- 
ments. Both trucks arrived in Washington in excellent 
condition. 

The two sample trucks were fonnally presented to 
the President and the Secretary of War on October 19, 
1917, for their inspection. 

The methods adopted in the work of standardization 
proceeded along two lines. The larger units, such as 
engines, front axles, transmissions, clutches, controls, 
frames, wooden wheels, springs, and some other parts, 
were such as could be designed without fear of in- 



396 THE QUARTERMASTEK CORPS 

fringing the various patented constructions, and the 
engineers designing these units could go ahead with 
no other thought than that of securing the very best 
results. A strict adherence to the policy of eliminating 
all experimental features in the desig-n was insisted 
upon. The trucks embodied no novel or freak con- 
struction. Every unit and part was typical of the best 
American practice, and did not differ in principle from 
those of many commercial trucks. On the other hand, 
various parts, such as radiators, rear axles, steel wheels, 
differentials, steering gears, electric parts, storage bat- 
teries, lamps, universal joints, magnetos, bumpers, and 
numerous other parts and accessories were such that 
practically all meritorious constructions in the market 
were found to be covered by patents or proprietary de- 
signs. It was desired that the truck when completed 
should not embody patented constructions or proprietary 
designs on account of legal objections, and also to the 
advertising advantages which would be conferred by 
the use of such parts, and accordingly much time was 
devoted to devising constructions which would avoid 
this necessity. Groups of manufacturers of each of the 
different units were called together, and the problem 
of arriving at a design of that unit without sacrificing 
efficiency which would nevertheless not infringe the 
proprietary construction of any of them was requested. 
This was a matter of extraordinary difficulty in some 
instances and involved unselfish reversal of all ordinary 
commercial procedure. These manufacturers met this 
test splendidly and in practically all units of the truck 



TKANSPOKTATIOE" DIVISION 397 

a non-proprietary design was reached which was efficient 
and, in some instances, superior to the best commercial 
designs. The spirit displayed by these American manu- 
facturers in abandoning their commercial rivalry and 
giving up their vested rights and producing what was 
needed without selfish thought in the matter was ab- 
solutely unique in American industrial history, and too 
great praise cannot be given them for the manner in 
which they have accomplished their task. 

Placing of orders for Prodtiction. The placing of 
orders for the production of the three-ton standardized 
truck began very promptly after the completion of the 
samples and before any extended test of the trucks 
themselves was possible. This was necessary in order 
that tnicks might be available during Janua,ry, 1918. 
It was thought that revision of the design might pos- 
sibly create the necessity of throwing away tools or 
fabricated parts, but that the military necessity would 
justify this, if the completed trucks should be ready 
according to schedule time. 

Accordingly the first meetings for the allotment of 
trucks were called for October 12th, and from that date 
until the latter part of December, meetings of manu- 
facturers in Washington for the allotment of the dif- 
ferent parts of the truck occurred at frequent intervals. 

Two organizations were created to handle the pro- 
curement: First, a board of officers to act as a Pur- 
chasing Board to allot the business. 

Second, a production board with branches dealing 
with: (a) Raw materials; (b) Inspection of plants 



898 THE QUAETERMASTEE CORPS 

as to their suitability for taking part in this program; 
(c) Supervision of parts plants; (d) Supervision of as- 
sembly plants; (e) Inspection of parts and products. 

The production organization w^as used ; first, to secure 
preliminary information as to the names of the pro- 
ducers for the different parts of the truck ; second, the 
selection of producers whose plants w^ere best suited for 
producing the parts of this special truck, v^ith due 
reference to geogTaphical location; third, acquainting 
these prospective producers v^^ith the material to be 
produced, and assisting them in formulating their bids ; 
and fourth, furnishing the necessary information for 
the Purchasing Board. Each producer was required to 
make a careful statement, not only as to the ability and 
condition of his plant to do the work, but also as to the 
material cost of each part upon which he was prepared 
to submit figures. This information was then taken 
to the Purchasing Board, and a joint meeting of the 
Board of Producers arranged for. 

The constitution of the Purchasing Board was as 
follows : 

Chairman: General C. D. Baker 
Colonel Charles B. Drake 
Lieutenant Colonel James W. Furlow 
Major Edward Orton, Jr. 
Captain L. H. Coart 

Mr. Coker F. Clarkson, General Manager 
of the Society of Automotive Engineers. 
Production of the standardized type B trucks was 
directed by the following men, who were called to Wash- 
ington: Christian Girl, head of the Standard Parts 



TRANSPOETATION DIVISION" 399 

Co. of Cleveland; James F. Bourquin, Continental 
Motor Co., Louisville, Ky. ; Percy W. Tracy, of the 
Premier Motor Co., Indianapolis; Walter S. Quinlan, 
of the Maynard H. Murch Co., Cleveland ; Guy Morgan, 
of the Mitchell Motors Corporation, Eacine, Wis. ; J. 
G. Utz, of the Standard Parts Co., Cleveland; G. W. 
Randies, of the Foote-Burt Co., Cleveland; and A. G. 
Drefs, of the Miller-Franklin Co. 

In general, it was the idea to have at least three or 
four sources of supply for each part that went into the 
standardized truck, as a result 150 parts manufacturers 
were given contracts. 

One firm offered to erect and install a large plant 
at Detroit if given the contract for assembling the 
trucks. This offer was refused as it was desired to 
have as many assembling plants as possible, and avoid 
possible congestion in shipments from parts manufac- 
turers, or in shipment or convoy of the trucks. 

The allotment of the business of assembling the 
trucks was by all means the most difficult, as it required 
the division of 10,000 trucks among plants potentially 
able to manufacture several hundred thousand. There 
were approximately 160 plants which had been investi- 
gated as possible assemblers. Among the plants which 
were found to be strongest, best equipped and most fa- 
vorable ones in the country for that purpose, a tenta- 
tive allotment of the assembly was made, no plant be- 
ing allotted more than 1,000 trucks. 

Later the Committees undertook the development of 
plans for the standardization of the 1^-ton and %-ton 



400 THE QUAETEEMASTER CORPS 

trucks and also for the standardization of the motor- 
cycle and the bicycle, but none of these standards were 
ever placed in production. 

The production of the order for 10,000 type B trucks 
was delayed by the shortage of coal and the freight con- 
gestion in 1918. In May, 1918, an additional order for 
8,000 was placed and in September, 1918, a further 
order for 25,000 was placed; but on account of the sign- 
ing of the Armistice no trucks were delivered under 
this last order. 

Spare and Repair Parts and Accessories. Immedi- 
ately after orders were placed for vehicles, orders for 
spare and repair parts and accessories were placed. 
These orders were based on the amounts necessary for 
a period of six months for one hundred vehicles, and 
for convenience of access were divided into comple- 
ments. 

The allowance of items was carefully prepared by 
an officer who had experience with the operation of 
motor vehicles and with the cooperation of the service 
managers of the factory manufacturing the vehicles and 
they were then reviewed by one or more other officers of 
experience. 

Organization. The administration and supply of 
motor transportation remained in the miscellaneous 
branch of the transportation division of the office but 
a section had been created, and officers who had had ex- 
perience with the operation of motor vehicles and shop 
experience and others familiar with organization were 
assigned thereto. 



TEANSPOETATION DIVISIOE" 401 

This motors section carefully studied the require- 
ments, and in cooperation with the General Staff per- 
fected the organization of and equipment necessary for 
motorcycle companies, motor car companies, motor truck 
companies, machine shop units, repair units, water tank 
companies, etc. 

Personnel. An early estimate was made of the per- 
sonnel required for the operation and repair of the 
motor transportation which had been authorized and 
effort was made in cooperation with the personnel 
branch of the ofRce to get the requisite number. How- 
ever, only a small portion of the number estimated as 
required were allowed and there was therefore at all 
times a lack of trained mechanics and chauffeurs avail- 
able with which to organize the units required overseas. 

Training. The instructions transmitted by the Adju- 
tant General, Aug-ust 24, 1917, placed the responsibil- 
ity on the division commanders for training the units 
operating with combatant divisions. Other organiza- 
tions of the Quartermasters Corps were to be trained 
under the direction of the Quartermaster General. 

For this purpose a camp was established at Camp 
Joseph E. Johnston, near Jacksonville, Florida, but to 
provide for the first motor repair units a cantonment 
was erected at Camp Meigs, D. C. These camps were 
used until the Armistice for the training of Quarter- 
master personnel and special units. 

To provide for the receipt of trucks from factories, 
for their preparation for overseas services, their over- 
haul after receipt from factories by convoy, and for the 



402 THE QUAETEKMASTER CORPS 

repair of and rebuilding of vehicles rendered unserv- 
iceable in operation in the northeastern and eastern 
states and to provide additional accommodations for the 
training of personnel, a cantonment repair shop and 
crating shop was erected at Camp Holabird, Baltimore, 
Md. 

Smaller shops were also erected at Camp Jesup, 
Georgia, Camp ISTormyle, Texas, and at Camp Boyd, 
Texas, with the necessary cantonment buildings for the 
personnel of the repair units to operate and for the men 
undergoing training. 

Expert mechanics and chauffeurs were turned out 
from these schools in large numbers. 



XI 

CAMP JOSEPH E. JOHNSTOI^, ELORIDA 

Object of the camp — Instruction — Administrative personnel. 

The effort made in June, 1917, to secure authority 
for the establishment of a Quartermaster Corps Train- 
ing Camp, and the delays in obtaining it have been 
previously described. It was not until September 6, 
1917, that the final decision was made that the pro- 
posed camp would be established at Black Point on 
the St. John's River, about fourteen miles west of the 
city of Jacksonville, Fla. 

Lieutenant Colonel Fred L. Munson, Quartermaster 
Corps, was on August 26, 1917, designated as Com- 
manding Officer and Major Frederick I. Wheeler, Corps 
of Engineers, Reserve Corps, was assigned to as con- 
structing Quartermaster of the Camp. 

By the end of September the construction of roads 
and buildings on the camp site were finally begun 
whereas, as previously set forth, it had reasonably been 
anticipated that the construction work would be com- 
pleted by that time and the school in operation. 

OBJECT OF THE CAMP 

The Object of a camp of this character was to central- 
403 



404 THE QUAKTEKMASTER CORPS 

ize the newly commissioned and enlisted personnel of 
the Quartermaster Coi-ps in order that the many and 
various organizations composing it could be uniformly 
disciplined, trained, and equipped. 

Prior to the authorization of this scheme of central- 
ization attempts had been made to mobilize and train, 
in the many scattered divisional camps, such of the 
newly acquired organizations as laundry, butchery, fire 
hose and truck companies, base spare parts units, etc. 
But it was soon shown that this latter plan was un- 
necessarily expensive, slower in producing satisfactory 
results, more costly in instructor personnel, and that 
it resulted in a lack of uniformity in the system of in- 
struction. To have constructed separate barracks and 
school buildings at each of the divisional camps for the 
care of our many new organizations was out of the ques- 
tion. Hence the importance of a large centralized plant 
for Quartermaster Corps personnel. 

Camp Johnston as originally planned was intended 
to accommodate a maximum of 11,500 officers and men. 
By the middle of February, 19 18, the total population 
of the camp had reached 17,000. The overflow had 
to be housed in tents. 

Owing to the overcrowded condition of the large re- 
cruiting depots in the north, and to the severity of the 
winter weather in that part of the country, several 
thousand Quartermaster Corps men were shipped to 
Camp Johnston fully two weeks in advance of the date 
they were expected, and before their barracks and mess 
halls were completed. 



CAMP JOHNSTON, FLORIDA 405 

The wisdom of having selected the camp site so well 
to the south was being proved daily during these winter 
months. The above mentioned problems and numerous 
others were met and successfully solved by the experi- 
enced, efficient, and loyal staff of the Camp Commander. 
This staff was largely composed of Captains of the Quar- 
termaster Reserve Corps who had received their basic 
training while Quartermaster Sergeants of the Regular 
Army. 

The transportation problem for passengers between 
the camp and city of Jacksonville was solved by a 
merger of the several owners of public auto. vehicles 
under one management. A similar arrangement was 
made with the owners of steamboats on the St. John's 
River, thereby establishing a water route to and from 
the city. The camp and city were also connected by 
an electric street car line. 

INSTRUCTION 

Officers. Of the 1,500 first and second lieutenants 
of the Quartermaster Corps who had been sent to Camp 
Johnston from the various divisional camps only 1,100 
were enrolled as students. The 400 remaining officers 
were either assigned to duty with the many new Quar- 
termaster Corps units which, at this time were rapidly 
being organized, or else assigned as instructors in the 
many different schools for enlisted men. 

The school for officers began December 27, 191Y, 
Its curriculum consisted of a sixty days' course in the 



406 THE QUAETEEMASTER CORPS 

following named subjects. Finance, Administration, 
Construction and Repair, Transportation, and Supply. 

Each student who remained long enough to complete 
the course received twelve days of intensive theoretical 
and practical training in each of the above five sub- 
jects. Owing to the constantly increasing demand for 
Quartermaster Corps officers for duty with the Ameri- 
can Expeditionary Forces abroad not more than 250 of 
the original 1,100 students completed the entire course 
of instruction. 

Enlisted Men. As rapidly as enlisted men arrived in 
camp they were temporarily assigned to provisional re- 
cruit companies. While in these organizations they 
were uniformed, partially equipped, and drilled in the 
school of the soldier, and school of the squad. It was 
also during this period that the men received frequent 
lectures by the Camp Commander on the subjects of 
discipline and customs of the service. 

At the close of two weeks of military instruction all 
men of a recruit company would then be grouped and 
assigned to units according to trade or profession. For 
example : All men who had had experience as butchers, 
or who had expressed a desire to learn the butchery 
trade, would be quartered together and organized into 
one or more butchery companies. 

There were separate schools for cooks, bakers, auto 
mechanics, plumbers, carpenters, farriers, teamsters, 
fire fighters, typewriters and clerks. 

All scholastic work was daily supplemented by at 
least two hours of military training. Organizations 



CAMP JOHNSTON, FLORIDA 407 

armed with the rifle, such as motor truck, and motor- 
cycle companies, were also instructed in rifle practice 
on the Camp range. Throughout all the instruction of 
the men most careful and special attention was given to 
discipline and good soldierly appearance. 

That the men from Camp Johnston who were sent 
overseas were a credit to both the Quartermaster Corps 
and to their Camp is evidenced by the following ex- 
tracts from two separate reports rendered by Major E. 
B. Cassatt, Inspector General, Port of Embarkation, 
Hoboken, 'N. J., to his Camp Commander under dates 
of March 10 and April 4, 1918, respectively: 

(a) "For completeness of equipment, for general 
soldierly bearing, and evidence of efficiency and interest 
on the part of the officers in charge, these four Fire 
Hose and Truck Companies from Camp Joseph E. 
Johnston, are unexcelled by any organization inspected 
by the undersigned at this camp." 

(b) "The attention of the Commanding General 
(Camp Merritt, N. J.) is invited to the uniform ex- 
cellence and completeness of equipment of the detach- 
ments of the Quartermaster Corps arriving here from 
Camp Joseph E. Johnston, and of their generally good 
military appearance. 

"It is suggested that this information be communi- 
cated to the Commanding Officer, Camp Joseph E. 
Johnston." 

December 31, 1917, the administrative personnel of 
the Camp was composed, in part, of the following named 
officers : 



408 THE QUAETERMASTEE COEPS 

Commanding Officer: Lieutenant Colonel Fred L. 

Munson, U. S. A. 
Adjutant: Captain Jacob H. Spengler, Q.M.U.S.E. 
Assistants: Captain Andrew C. Larsen, Q.M.U.S.E. 
(Personnel) 
Captain Charles Van Buren, Q.M.U.S.E. (Or- 
ders) 
Captain Edward P. Dojle, Q.M.U.S.E. (Corre- 
spondence) 
Captain Jackson Middleton, Q.M.U.S.E. (Trans- 
fers and Assignments) 
Quartermaster: Major James E. Ware, Q. M. Corps. 
Assistants: Captain Charles B. Franke, Q.M.U.S.E. 
(Finance) 
Captain Dennis McSweney, Q.M.U.S.E. (Sub- 
sistence) 
Captain N'els J. Thorud, Q.M.U.S.E. (Property) 
Captain John C. Christophel, Q.M.U.S.E. (Cloth- 
ing) 

Captain Asa Irwin, Q.M.U.S.E. (C. and E.) 
Captain William M. Larner, Q.M.U.S.E. (Trans- 
portation) 

Surgeon: Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Y. Porter, M. C. 
(22 assistants) 

Exchange Officer: Captain Daniel E. Eajmond, Q.M. 
u.io.E. * 

Mess Officer: Captain Lewis B. Massie, Q.M.U.S.E. 

Signal Officer: First Lieut. John T. McAniff, U.S.E.* 

Ordnance Officer : Captain Eajmond C. Keenev ' O D 
U.S.E. '^' * ■ 

Headquarters Guard : Captain William F. Eock, Q.M. 
U.S.E. 

Eeceiving Division: Captain Henry J. Eath, Q.M. 
U.S.E. 
Captain E. B. Snyder, Q.M.U.S.E, 



CAMP JOHNSTON, FLORIDA 409 

Captain S. J. Ellis, Q.M.U.S.K 
Captain S. W. Shaffer, Q.M.U.S.K. 
Captain M. McMahon, Q.M.U.S.R. 
Captain J. S. Walker, Q.M.U.S.R 
Captain T. Kenney, Q.M.U.S.R. 
Educational Director: Captain John C. Duncan, 
Q.M.R. 
Captain John G. DeMuth, Q.M.U.S.R. (As- 
sistant) 
Director of Correspondence School : Captain Thomas J. 
Berney, Q.M.U.S.R. 
Captain Richard Gibbons, Q.M.U.S.R. (Assistant) 
Officers' School (Construction and Repair) : Captain 
Charles S. Tinunins, Q.M.U.S.R., Senior In- 
structor (9 Assistants) 
Finance and Accounting: Captain J. M. Clark, Q.M. 
U.S.R. (Senior Instructor) 
Second Lieutenant Frank E. Parker (Assistant) 
Administration: Captain James L. Greene, Q.M. 

U.S.R., Senior Instructor (7 Assistants) 
Transportation: Captain Osman Freeman, Q.M.U.S.R., 

Senior Instructor (9 Assistants) 
Supply: Captain Walter L. Sherman, Q.M.U.S.R., 

Senior Instructor (10 Assistants) 
Auto Motive School : Captain Jeremiah W. O'Mahoney, 

Q.M.R., Senior Instructor 
Motor Cycle School : Captain Harry Diffenbaugh, Q.M. 

U.S.R., Senior Instructor 
Remount Depot : Captain Timothy H. Murphy, Q.M.R. 

The complexity of Quartermaster training may be 
judged from the variety of technical and special organ- 
izations sent out from Camp Joseph E. Johnston, Jack- 
sonville, Fla., the largest of all Quartermaster mobiliza- 



410 THE QUAKTERMASTEK CORPS 

tion and training camps. Records show that during the 
13 months in which Camp Joseph E. Johnston trained 
enlisted and commissioned personnel, 82,070 men passed 
through this camp. Among the more common Quarter- 
master units organized at this camp were supply com- 
panies, butchery companies, salvage units, graves regis- 
tration units, clothing and bath units, typist and steno- 
graphic units, railhead detachments, motor-truck trains, 
miscellaneous Quartermaster units, sales commissary 
units, and units consisting of mechanics, plumbers, 
painters, and electricians. Student officers were trained 
as specialists in contracts ; water, rail, and motor trans- 
portation; money accounts; property accounts; general 
administration and company administration; supplies, 
subsistence, and clothing and equipage; construction 
and repair; motor truck; motor car; motorcycle; and 
personnel. In addition to the many men sent directly 
overseas, large numbers were assigned to camps and 
posts in the United States. In all 8,152 were sent from 
Camp Johnston to other camps for special assignment. 
Two thousand seven hundred and forty-six officers re- 
ported from other stations for duty, and of this num- 
ber 2,397, up to November 27, 1918, had left the camp 
for duty elsewhere. The greatest strength of the camp 
was on August 22, 1918, when there were stationed at 
Camp Johnston 27,661 men and 944 officers. Three 
hundred and sixty special technical units were organ- 
ized in this camp and sent overseas. The total number 
of units organized in this camp, including those for 



CAMP JOHNSTON, FLORIDA 411 

overseas, was 405. (Report Quartermaster General for 
1919.) 

The citizens of Jacksonville, Florida, evinced a genu- 
ine interest in Camp Joseph E. Johnston and did every- 
thing possible to promote the welfare and contentment 
and provide sources of amusement for both the officers 
and the men at the Camp. 



CONCLUSION 

Almost every one of the subjects touclied on in this 
book would, if as fully and exhaustively treated as its 
importance warrants, make a separate book of itself; 
and some subjects would require several volumes to com- 
pletely describe them. The entire subject was of vast 
and vital importance due to the enormous numbers of 
men in the service, the fact that the activities embraced 
such great number and variety of items and covered so 
large a portion of the world, and that the distances were 
so great. Further, the amount of money largely ex- 
ceeded the great sum which would be involved by a com- 
bination of the financial statements of many of the 
greatest corporations in this country. 

In fact, the total amount of money appropriated by 
Congress for the Quartermaster Corps in the year 1917 
was nearly four times the total of all the expenditures 
of our Government for the year prior to our entry into 
the war. 

It has been a considerable task to treat all the sub- 
jects in a clear and comprehensive manner and keep 
this book to a reasonable size, and still bring out the 
salient features of the work accomplished. 

In outlining the work performed by the Quartermas- 
ter Corps in the year 1917 in the World War it has been 

412 



co:n^cltjsion 413 

necessary in many cases to take the entire results ac- 
complished by various organizations or activities then 
first established. It was not possible to terminate the 
statement with the end of the year 1917, for many of 
the contracts made in 1917 and many of the activities 
then inaugurated were not concluded until late in 1918. 
Particular pains have been taken, however, to avoid 
claiming credit for any organization or activity devised 
in a subsequent period. 

In reviewing the summary it may fairly be main- 
tained that the site was cleared and prepared ; all the 
foundations laid; the superstructure planned and a 
large portion of it constructed and actually occupied. 
The modifications of the superstructure later effected 
were, however, erected on the foundations previously 
laid, which proved adequate to bear the superimposed 
load. The immense plant drew men from every branch 
of labor and of science to aid in its completion and assist 
in its effective operation. The failures were few, and 
are negligible in comparison with the enormous amount 
of work accomplished. 

The personal knowledge of the large part contributed 
by the Quartermaster Corps in 1917 to promote the 
physical welfare and comfort of the men behind the 
guns has inspired this statement of the facts as a tribute 
to the loyalty, efficiency and untiring devotion to duty 
of its members and civilian personnel. 
HENEY G. SHARPE, 
Major General, U. S. Army, 

(Formerly Quartermaster General.) 



INDEX 



Adams, Lieutenant Colonel John 
H., 128 

Adams, Laurence, 116 

Agent oflacers, 77, 78 

Aishton, R. M., 344 

Alsberg, Dr., 101 

"America's Race to Victory," 
by Lieutenant Colonel R^quin, 
quoted, 35, 36, 88 ; on develop- 
ment of National Army, 186 

American Can Company, 306 

American Railway Association: 
Committee of, on transporta- 
tion of troops, 203, 344, 347, 
348 

American Telephone and Tele- 
graph Company, 291 

American Woolen Company, 
164, 165 

American Wool Growers' Asso- 
ciation, 73 

Animals: purchasing and ship- 
ping of, by Remount Division 
254 et seq.; tables showing 
purchase and losses of, 267- 
269 

Anthony, Mr. George A., 353 

Appropriations : statement of 
(1918), 77-80 

Armour Emergency Rations, 306 

Army: creation of Supply De- 
partments in, 4; problem of 
financing, 68 et seq.; pay of, 
81 et seq.; system of, pay 
allotments, 73, 74 

Army Reorganization Act: in 
relation to Quartermaster's 
Corps, 26, 27 



Army Transport Service, 321 

et seq., 377 et seq. 
Army Vessel Service, 377 
"Art of Subsisting Armies in 

War, The," by General Henry 

Granville Sharpe, cited, 93 
Atlanta: Quartermaster Depot, 

301, 302 
Atwater, Professor, 101 
Austin, Colonel William G., 65, 

370 
Auxiliary Remount and Animal 

Embarkation Depots: list of, 

256 et seq. 
Aviation Section, 8 

Baily, Harry L., 179 

Baker, Colonel Chauncey B., 
355; plan of, 379, 380 

Baker, Secretary Newton D., 
quoted on Army food, 127, 
128, 152, 153, 157; letter of, 
quoted on equipage and 
clothing for recruits, 183- 
185; correspondence of, with 
General Sharpe on equipment, 
provisioning, etc., 187 ; state- 
ment of, to Congress on tech- 
nical troops, 194 et seq.; 
letter of, to Senator Cham- 
berlain, relating to clothing 
shortage, 229-231; testimony 
of, before Senate Committee 
of Military Affairs, quoted, 
232, 284 

Bakery Branch: expansion of, 
117 et seq. 

Balfour, Mr., 198 



415 



416 



INDEX 



Baltimore : Quartermaster De- 
pot, 302, 402 

Barnes, J. Lee, 116 

Bates, Colonel, 269 

Bennett, Hon. W. S., 376 

Berney, Captain Thomas J., 
409 

Besler, W. C, 344 

Bifield, Mr. Joseph, 114, 128 

Bliss, Mr. E, J., 146 

Bliss, Major General Tasker 
H., 39, 46; opinion of, on 
enlistments in Quartermas- 
ter's Corps, 56; cablegram 
from, on transportation prob- 
lem in France, quoted, 58; 
letter to Quartermaster Gen- 
eral, 86; correspondence on 
maintenance of Army, 86, 87, 
157, 166, 199, 367 

Board of Control of Labor 
Standards for Army Cloth- 
ing, 182 

Boomer, Mr. L. M., 112, 116 

Boston Quartermaster Depot, 
277 et seq., 302, 303 

Boston Wool Trade Association : 
patriotic resolution of, 
173 

Bourquin, James F., 398 

Bristol, Colonel Matt C, 270 

Brown, Mr. Jacob F., 176, 179 

Brydges, Captain, 269 

Caderwald, Major A. A., 270 

Camp Boyd, 402 

Camp Devens, 278, 302 

Camp Holabird, 302, 402 

Camp Jessup, 402 

Camp Joseph E. Johnston: 26, 
66 ; Remount Training at, 262 
et seq., 401; work of, 403- 
411 

Camp Meigs, 342, 401 

Camp Merritt, 66 

Camp Normyle, 402 



Cantonment Division: 14; ac- 
tivities of, 297 et seq. 

Carson, Brigadier General John 
M., 128, 317 et seq.; troop 
transportation work of, 358 
et seq. 

Cassatt, Major E. B., 407 

Casualty Camp, Governors Isl- 
and, 66 

Cemeterial Branch, 66, 67 

Chamberlain, Senator George 
E., Chairman Committee on 
Military Affairs: letter to, 
on clothing shortage, 229-232 

Channing, Major Haydon, 269, 
270 

Chefs' Association, 114 

Chicago Quartermaster Depot, 
303 et seq.; 388 

Chief of Staif: relation of, to 
Supply Departments, 10, 11, 
15. See also General Bliss 

Chittenden, Professor, 101 

Christophel, Captain John C, 
408 

Civil Service Commission: in 
relation to civilian personnel, 
18 

Civilians : status of, in Quarter- 
master General's Office, 17 et 
seq. 

Clark, Captain Frederick S., 
180 

Clark, Captain J. M., 409 

Clark, Lieutenant Colonel Wil- 
liam F., 128, 342 

Clarkson, Major Coker F., 394, 
398 

Clothing and Equipment 
Branch, 129 et seq. 

Clothing and equipage: state- 
ment of, shipped overseas, 
234 et seq. 

Clyde Steamship Company, 
323 

Coart, Captain L. H., 398 



INDEX 



417 



Coleman, Lieutenant Colonel 
Sherrard, 112, 115 

Columbus, N. M., 385 

Columbus, Ohio, 393 

Commission to Investigate the 
Conduct of the War Depart- 
ment in the War with Spain : 
report of, quoted, 4, 5 

Committee on Supplies, 179, 
180 

Comptroller of the Treasury: 
finance work of, 71, 74 

Congress: in relation to the 
Quartermaster's Department, 
5-16, passim; and the Army 
Appropriation Bill, 68, 80; 
relation of, to troop trans- 
portation, 352 ; appropria- 
tions by, for Quartermaster's 
Corps, 412 

Copeland, A. W., 394 

Conservation Branch: establish- 
ment of, 16 

Construction Division : func- 
tions of, and work accom- 
plished by, 292-300 

Continental Congress: and the 
Supply Department, 4 

Corps de I'lntendence, 25 

Council of National Defense: 
72, 149, 154, 155; agreement 
between, and leather dealers, 
253; 326 

Couste, Colonel, 269 

Davenport, L. M., 116 
Davis, Preston, 269 
DeMuth, Captain John G., 409 
Deficiency Act, 77, note 
Deficiency Bill, 68 et seq. 
Deitrick, Colonel Leonard L., 

108, 109, 128 
Denman, Mr. William: 355, 

357; and the transport 

MoClellan, 368 
Detroit, 394 



Devereux, Major Frederick L., 

290, 291 
Devol, Major General Carroll 

A., 128, 341 
Diflfenbaugh, Captain Harry, 

409 
Downey, Colonel George F., 

342 
Doyle, Captain Edward P., 408 
Drake, Colonel Charles B., 398 
Dravo, Colonel E. E., 240 
Drefs, A. G., 399 
Duncan, Captain John C, 409 

Ecole de I'lntendence, 23, 99, 

382 
Eddington, F. R., 79 
Eisenman, Charles, 179 
El Paso Quartermaster Depot, 

309, 385, 387 
Ellis, Captain S. J., 409 
Elting, Major Stewart C, 115 
Eppley, Eugene, 116 
Embarkation Service: duties of, 

367 et seq.; 388 
Engineers' Corps, 8 
England: attitude of, toward 

reclamation of materials and 

supplies, 240 

Fair, Colonel John S., 269 

Federal Reserve Bank, 71 

Field Bakeries, 99, 100 

Finance and Accounting Divi- 
sion: expansion of, 68 et seq.; 
problems of, 70-89 

First Convoy: ships compris- 
ing, 358 et seq.; 387 

First Division: motor equip- 
ment of, 386 

Food Administration, 94, 101 

Food Purchase Board: activ- 
ities of, 95 et seq. 

Ford, Mr. Henry, 279 

Ford Motor Company Assem- 
bling Plant, 302 et seq. 



418 



INDEX 



Fort Bliss, 245 

Fort Brown, 385 

Fort Keogh, 245 

Fort Reno, 245 

Fort Riley, 107-109 

Fort Sam Houston: 109, 245; 
Quartermaster Depot, 309, 
385, 387 

Four Wheel Drive Motor Car 
Company, 387 

France: transportation prob- 
lem in, 57 et seq.; stevedores 
in, 65 ; financing disbursing 
Quartermasters in, 75; atti- 
tude of, toward reclamation 
of supplies, 240; installation 
of ice plant in, 294; trans- 
portation of troops to, 359 
et seq.; motor transportation 
in, 381, 382 

Franke, Captain Charles B., 
408 

Franklin, Mr. P. A. S., 323 

Frazier, J. M., 116 

Freeman, Captain Osman, 409 

French High Commission, 369 

Front Royal, Va., 245 

Fuel Administration, 239 et 
seq. 

Fuel and Forage Branch: 16; 
work of, 239 et seq. 

Furlow, Colonel James W., 296, 
398 

Gallagher, Colonel Hugh J,, 
128, 302 

Garford Motor Truck Company, 
387 

General Deficiency Bill: pro- 
visions of, for Quarter- 
master's Corps, 80, 82 

General Staff: advocacy of, by 
Secretary Root, 10, 380 

Gibbons, Captain Richard, 409 

Gifford, Mr. Walter Sherman, 
269 



Girl, Christian, 398 

Godfrey, Brigadier General E. 

S., 107 
Goethals, General George W.: 

memorandum of, on inspec- 
tors, 49, 50 
Goodwyn, Colonel Carey E., 65 
Government Printing OflSce, 21, 

22 
Governors Island: facilities of, 

326 et seq. 
Grade, Lieutenant Colonel W. 

B., 176, 303 
Gram-Bernstein Motor Truck 

Company, 394 
Grant, Colonel Frank A., 330 
Grant, General Frederick D., 

113, 114 
Greene, Captain James I., 409 
Gregg, Mr. Cecil D., 114, 

128 
Grocery Division: problems of, 

304 et seq. 
Grove, Colonel W. R., 128 
Gunning, General, 269 

Haight, F. E., 180 
Hamburg-American Steamship 

Company, 317, 318, 323 
Harbor Boat Service, 371 
Harrison, Fairfax, 344 
Hart, Colonel William H., 341 
Hathaway, Major C. Emory, 

115 
Hegeman, Colonel, 296, 297 
Heron, General Thomas, 295 
Hess, Captain R. H., 290 
Hight, F. S., 116 
Hill, J. Stacey, 116 
Hindenburg, Field Marshal von, 

232 
Hinoldi, Colonel, 269 
Hirsch, Colonel Harry J., 154, 

161, 173, 331, 337, 338 
Hoboken: stevedore troubles at, 

380 



INDEX 



419 



Hoboken Manufacturers' Shore 

R. R., 323 
Holbrook, Colonel Lucius R., 

107 
Horton, Colonel W. H., 239 
Hotel Keepers' Association, 114 

Ice Plant Company, 294 
Interim Bond, 74 
International Mercantile Ma- 
rine Company, 323 
Irwin, Captain Asa, 408 

Jacksonville, Fla., 26, 401, 403 
Jeffersonville Quartermaster 

Depot, 309 et seq. 
Joflfre, Field Marshal, 179 
Joint Army and Navy Board 
for the Inspection of Mer- 
chant Ships: activities of, 
371-381 
Jones, Colonel S. G., 110 et 
seq. 

Kaplan, S. M., 179 
Keene, Captain M. S., 286 
Kelley, Mrs. Florence, 182 
Kenney, Captain T., 409 
Kernan, Captain F. J., 366 
Kimball, Colonel Amos W., 302 
Kirstein, Louis C, 182 
Kitchener Army: equipment of, 

recruits, 184, 185 
Knight, Colonel John T., 341 
Kniskern, General Albert D., 

128, 309 
Konesi, Captain Walter E., 182 

Lawrence, Arthur, 180 
Langworthy, Professor, 101, 

106 
Larner, Captain William M., 

408 
Larsen, Captain Andrew C, 

408 
Lemly, Major H. R., 69 



Locomobile Company of Amer- 
ica, 387 

Los Angeles Quartermaster De- 
pot, 341 

Ludington, Quartermaster Gen- 
eral, 353 

Machine Shop Unit, 370 

Mallory, Mr. Clifford, 323 

Martin, D. D., 179 

Massie, Captain Lewis B., 408 

McAniff, Lieutenant John T., 
408 

McCabe, Mr. C. B., 359 

McClellan, transport, 368, 369 

McElwain, J. F., 180 

Mcintosh, Lieutenant Colonel 
J. N., 128 

McGlynn, 116 

McMahon, Captain M., 409 

McSweney, Captain Dennis, 408 

Medical Department, 8 

Melville, Admiral, 353 

Metcalf, Mr. Stephen O., 176, 
179 

Mexico: 24, 64; Pershing ex- 
pedition into, 68, 255; puni- 
tive expedition to, 382 et seq. 

Middleton, Captain Jackson, 
408 

Milton, Major Alexander M., 
115 

Mine Planters, 376 et seq. 

Montgomery Ward & Co., 309 

Morgan, Guy, 399 

Motor Transportation: 381 et 
seq.; development of, 383 et 
&eq.; organization, 400; per- 
sonnel, 401; training, 401, 
402 

Munro, 270 

Munson, Colonel Fred L., 403, 
408 

Murphy, Captain Timothy H., 
409 

Murray, Captain M. S., 107 



420 



INDEX 



Nash Motors Company, 387 

National Army: work of Quar- 
termaster's Corps in supply- 
ing and equipping. See Sup- 
plies. 

National Council of Defense, 
269. See also Council of 
National Defense. 

National Defense Act (June 3, 
1916) : 29, 26, 36, 51, 60, 
149, 154, 155 

National Guard: bonding of, 
74; equipping of, 131 et seq. 

Navy: and convoy service, 218; 
part played by, in troop 
transportation, 350, 351; De- 
partment, and reconditioning 
of interned vessels, 356 et 
seq. 

Navy League, 104 

Negroes: stevedore work of, on 
First Convoy, 369, 370 

New Orleans Quartermaster De- 
pot, 317 

New York : Quartermaster's 
Depot, 317-330; shipment of 
freight to, for First Convoy, 
360 et seq.; 380 

New York Merchants' Associa- 
tion, 323 

Newport News, 380 

North German Lloyd Steam- 
ship Company, 317, 318, 323 

Office of the Quartermaster 
General: organization of, 13 
et seq.; civilian personnel of, 
17 et seq.; transportation 
plans of, 343 et seq. 

Officers' Reserve Corps, 29 et 
seq. 

Officers' Training Camps, 31 ef 
seq. 

Ohio State University, 395 

Omaha Quartermaster Depot, 
330 



O'Mahoney, Captain Jeremiah 

W., 409 
Orton, Major Edward, Jr., 394, 

398 
Orton, Major J. R., 296 
Overman Law, 7, 9 

Packard Motor Car Company, 
387 

Page, Mr. E. D., 323 

Panchard, Mr. Edouard, 112, 
114 

Parker, Lieutenant Frank E., 
409 

Pegram, Major James C, 115 

Perkins, Major George F., 
290 

Pershing, General John J., 23, 
24; and transportation in 
France, 59 et seq.; 62; expe- 
dition into Mexico, 68, 81, 88, 
89, 104; cablegrams from, 
calling for clothing for troops 
overseas, cited, 209, 210, 212, 
213, 214, 215, 218, 219, 220, 
221; attitude of, toward 
negro stevedores, 369 

Personnel: Civilian, of the 
Office of the Quartermaster 
General during the World 
War, 17 et seq.; commis- 
sioned, 22 et seq. 

Philadelphia Quartermaster De- 
pot, 330 et seq. 

Pierce, Major Charles C, 67 

Pierce- Arrow Company, 387 

Pope, Colonel F. H., 382 

Porter, Lieutenant Colonel Jo- 
seph Y., 408 

Portland ( Ore. ) Quartermaster 
Depot, 340 

Powers, Lieutenant Colonel 
Robert B., 302 

Preistman, Howard: quoted on 
reworking wool for Army use 
in England, 227, 228 



INDEX 



421 



Presidio, San Francisco, 107, 
109 

Program for organizing the 
National Army, quoted, 191 
et seq. 

Puckle, Colonel, 219 

Punitive Expedition into Mex- 
ico, 148, 382 et seq. 

Quartermaster Boat Service, 
379 

Quartermaster Corps: 4; crea- 
tion of, 11; functions of, 12, 
13; personnel division of, 22 
et seq.; Army Reorganization 
Act in relation to, 26 et seq.; 
legislation relative to expan- 
sion of, 42 et seq.; full 
strength of, 44; Finance and 
Accounting Division of, 68- 
89; strength of, before World 
War, 51 et seq.; difficulties 
attending organization of 
certain units of, 60 et seq.; 
list of special organizations 
of, 64, 65 ; Finance and Ac- 
counting Division of, 68-89 ; 
Supplies Division, 90-240; 
Remount Division of, 244 et 
seq.; Warehousing Division 
of, 271 et seq.; Construction 
Division, 292-300; Canton- 
ment Division, 297 et seq.; 
and the stevedore question, 
369, 370; transportation ac- 
tivities of the, 343-405; and 
motor transportation, 381 et 
seq.; training camp, 403-411; 
appropriations of Congress 
for, 412 

Quartermaster Depots, 301-342 

Quartermaster General: in re- 
lation to personnel of Reserve 
Corps, 36 et seq.; memoran- 
dum of, regarding supplies 
for the First Convoy, 361- 



363. See also General Henry 
G. Sharpe, 361-363 

Quartermaster's Officers' Re- 
serve Corps, 36 

Quartermaster Training School. 
See Camp Joseph E. John- 
ston. 

Quinlan, Walter S., 399 

Race, Arthur L., 115 

Randies, G. W., 399 

Rath, Captain Henry J., 408 

Raymond, Captain Daniel R., 
408 

Raymond, Mr. H. H., 323 

Rector, J. B., 116 

Red Cross, 198 

Reinach-Werth, Captain, 269, 
270 

Remount Branch, 15, 16, 314 
et seq. 

Repair Shops, 241 et seq. 

Requin, Lieutenant Colonel, 
quoted on the making of the 
National Army, 35, 36, 88, 
89, 186 

Revolutionary War, 9 

Robins, Mrs. Thomas, 111 

Rock, Captain William F., 
408 

Root, Secretary: in relation to 
division of the Quarter- 
master's Department, 5 

Rosen wald, Julius, 179 

Roosevelt, Theodore, 143 

Ruhlen, Colonel George, 341 

San Francisco Quartermaster 

Depot, 340, 341 
Schermerhorn, Mr. S. G., 323 
Schofield: case of the mine 

planter, 378 
School for Bakers and Cooks, 

28, 29 
Scott, Albert L., 179 
Scott, Rufus W., 179 



422 



INDEX 



Seattle Quartermaster Depot, 
341 

Secretary of War: relation of, 
to supply departments, 9, 11, 
14, 15; in relation to ex- 
pansion of Quartermaster's 
Corps, 42; in relation to 
Transportation Division, 346. 
See also Newton D. Baker. 

Seelbach, Otto, 116 

Selden Motor Vehicle Company, 
394 

Selective Service Law, 156 

Senate investigation of clothing 
situation, 221 et seq. 

Service of the Rear, 62 et seq. 

Shaffer, Captain S. W., 409 

Shanks, Brigadier General D. 
C, 364 

Sharpe, Greneral Henry G. : 
letter of, on Quartermaster 
training camps, quoted, 31- 
34; memorandum of, regard- 
ing inspecting personnel, 47, 
48; memorandum of, to Chief 
of Staff, 86; memorandum 
of, to Secretary of War in 
relation to equipment, 167; 
letters and memoranda of, 
relative to provisioning and 
equipping National Army, 
186 et seq.; program of, to 
supply War Army, 188, 189; 
quoted, 200-202, 207-209 ; 
conference of, wii;h Adjutant 
General regarding shipment 
of clothing to France, 209 
et seq.; letter, quoted, 298, 
299, 319 et seq.; and the 
stevedore question, 322, 413 

Sherman: case of the Army 
transport, 378 

Sherman, Captain Walter L., 
409 

Shipping Board, 349; activities 
of, in the matter of troop 



ships, 355 et seq.; work of, 
in troop transportation, 356 
et seq. 

Signal Corps, 8 

Slavens, Colonel Thomas H., 
128, 324, 330 

Smith, Mr. A. G., 323 

Smith, Ray, 116 

Smith, Major William H., 115 

Snyder, Captain E. B., 408 

Society of Automotive Engi- 
neers, 393, 394 

Spanish War, 27; influence of, 
upon establishment of trans- 
port fleet, 351, 353 

Special Committee on Coopera- 
tion with Military Author- 
ities, 344 

Special Units: list of, 201 

Spengler, Captain Jacob H., 
408 

St. Louis Quartermaster Depot, 
341, 342 

Steele, Major Harry L., 341 

Stevedore Battalion, 380 

Stevedores, 65, 369, 370 

Stevens, C. B., 179 

Stevenson, Mr. Robert H., Jr., 
176 

Stimson, Captain, 359 

Street, Mr. 0. D., 281, 290, 291 

Strook, S. F., 179 

Subsistence Branch: work of, 
90 et seq. 

Supplies: distribution of, in 
United States, 237 et seq.; 
conservation and reclamation 
of, 240 et seq. 

Supplies Division: 90 et seq.; 
Clothing and Equipment 
Branch of, 129 et seq. 

Supply Corps, 6 

Supply Department's: 3 et seq.; 
provision of, for First Con- 
voy, 360 et seq. 

Supply Depots, 72 et seq. 



INDEX 



423 



Talbot, Major Ralph, 115 

Thayer, Mr. H. B., 280, 281, 291 

Thompson, A. W., 344 

Thorud, Captain Nels J., 408 

Tillson, Colonel J. C, 320, 321; 
appointed Port Commander, 
364 

Tilson, Mr., quoted, 125 

Timmins, Captain Charles S., 
409 

Tracy, Percy W., 399 

Transport Workers' Battalion, 
369 

Transportation Division: in re- 
lation to moving National 
Army, 204; study of, 343- 
402 

Transportation: relation of, to 
war, 3; General Bliss on, 
problem in France, 58 

Transports, 217 

Troop Movement Section of the 
United States Railroad Ad- 
ministration : magnitude of 
work of, 347, 348 

Troop Ships: conversion of 
German interned vessels into, 
356 et seq. See also Trans- 
portation, Transports. 

Trucks: 385; standardization 
of, 395-397 

Trulock, W. N., 116 

Tyrrell, Percy, 116 

United Fruit Company, 323 

United States Army Transport 
Service: birth and develop- 
ment of, 350 et seq.; condi- 
tion of, at outbreak of World 
War, 352, 353 

United States Railroad Admin- 
istration, 347, 348 

Unmacht, Lieutenant Colonel, 
308, 309 

Urgent Deficiency Bill, 80 

Utz, J. G., 399 



Vail, Mr. Theodore N., 291 

Valentine, Colonel, 270 

Van Vleck, Mr. Frank, 353; 
formation of Transportation 
Workers' Battalion by, 369 

Van Buren, Captain Charles, 
408 

Vehicle Program, 250 et seq. 

Vehicles: table showing, pur- 
chased by Remount Division, 
267 

Wadsworth, Senator : quoted 

on feeding the National 

Army, 125, 126 
Walker, Captain J. S., 409 
Walter Reed General Hospital, 

342 
Ward Line Steamship Co., 323 
Ware, Captain James E., 408 
Warehousing Division: creation 

of, 16; duties of, 271 et sieq.; 

functions of various branches 

of, 282-284 
Washington Barracks, 107-109, 

342 
Washington Quartermaster De- 
pot, 342, 394 
Water Transport Branch, 369 

et seq. 
Wehle, Mr. L. B., 293 
Wells, Major Frederick B., 290, 

291 
West, Major W. W., 270 
Western Electric Company, 280, 

281, 291 
Wheeler, Major Frederick I., 

403 
Whitmore, Sam J., 116 
Wiley, Dr., 101 

Williams, Major A. E., 281, 291 
Williams, Lieutenant R. H., Jr., 

269, 270 
Williamson, Colonel George 

McK., 128, 303 
Wilson, Miller, 179 



424 INDEX 

Wilson, President: in relation raittee on Clothing Situation, 

to troop ships, 356 222 et seq. 

Winter burn, Colonel, 270 Wood, Colonel W. S., 317 

Wonson, Major H. S., 180 Wool Purchasing Depot, 171 
Wood, Colonel John P.: before 

Senate Investigating Com- Zalinski, Colonel M. Gray, 340 



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